Thailand election: 'Thaksin' wannabe hopes for poll victory

Candidate takes on ex-PM's name in belief it will give him an edge over rivals in elections

Mr Thaksin Kanta from Thailand’s Pheu Chart Party is among 15 candidates who have legally changed their names to Thaksin or Yingluck, in a bid to woo voters in the coming election.
Mr Thaksin Kanta, 62, is among 15 candidates from Pheu Chart party who have changed their names to Thaksin or Yingluck, after former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck. He is up against 32 rival candidates in the constituency
Mr Thaksin Kanta, 62, is among 15 candidates from Pheu Chart party who have changed their names to Thaksin or Yingluck, after former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck. He is up against 32 rival candidates in the constituency covering the districts of Chom Tong, Maewang, Doi Lo and San Pa Tong. ST PHOTO: ARLINA ARSHAD
Arlina Arshad Regional Correspondent In Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Updated
Mar 10, 2019, 07:40 AM
Published
Mar 10, 2019, 05:00 AM
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"I'm Thaksin, love Thaksin, vote for Thaksin!" Thai election candidate Thaksin Kanta chanted enthusiastically as he traipsed through the sprawling, busy market of Chiang Mai in the country's north.

"If you love democracy, if you love the country, if you love the land, please go out and vote on March 24," he roared, waving a poster bearing his own face in one hand, and a garland of marigolds - a symbol of luck and victory - in the other.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on March 10, 2019, with the headline Thailand election: 'Thaksin' wannabe hopes for poll victory. Subscribe

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