BANGKOK – Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, emerged as voters’ top choice to lead the South-east Asian nation ahead of the next general election tentatively scheduled in May, according to an opinion poll. 

Ms Paetongtarn is widely tipped to be the prime minister candidate of the nation’s largest opposition party Pheu Thai.

She got 34 per cent backing of 2,000 respondents aged 18 and above in a quarterly survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).

Her current approval rating jumped from 22 per cent in the previous quarterly poll conducted in September.

That month, a majority of respondents said there was no suitable candidate to become the next prime minister.

Respondents said they like Pheu Thai Party’s policies and track record, while some endorsed the idea of a new-generation leader, Nida said. 

Pheu Thai Party officially kicked off its election campaign this month, seeking to end nearly a decade of military-backed rule.

It has pledged to lift minimum wages by 70 per cent by the end of a four-year term and boost economic growth rate to an average 5 per cent annually if it is voted into power.

Incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha garnered support of 14.05 per cent of respondents, up from September survey’s 10 per cent, according to the Nida poll.

The coup-leader-turned-premier has seen his popularity erode for at least four straight quarters as his government seeks to shore up an economy still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gross domestic product in the July-September period rose 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, thanks to a tourism recovery and increased private consumption, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council.

Output expanded 1.2 per cent compared with the previous three months.

Support for Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the opposition Move Forward Party, rose to 13.25 per cent from 11 per cent in the previous quarterly poll, said Nida.

The percentage of respondents who said there is no suitable prime ministerial candidate dropped to 8.25 per cent in the December survey, from 24 per cent in the September poll, according to Nida.

Pheu Thai Party is the top choice of respondents in the survey, at 42.95 per cent. Move Forward Party came in second with 16.6 per cent, while Palang Pracharath, the largest party in Prayut’s coalition government, ranked seventh with 4 per cent of votes. BLOOMBERG