Thai PM promises to speed up projects if he’s re-elected

The unofficial election campaign continues as Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha promises to accelerate existing projects if re-elected. He said that, if re-elected as prime minister after the next election he will “speed up projects.”

The Thai PM has never stood for election as an MP in Thailand and won a vote for the prime ministership in a joint sitting in the Thai parliament after standing as an ‘outside prime ministerial nominee’.

But PM Prayut is clearly in election mode now.

“Please know that the prime minister is impatient and wants to finish all the work quickly. But problems abound, and I’ve been prime minister for almost eight years. Many projects have taken shape and are moving along.”

“If I can continue as prime minister after the next election, the projects will proceed faster.”

PM Prayut said that while he has done his best as PM, he would not be able to retain the position without the support of others. He appealed to voters to keep having confidence and believing in him because he considered himself “someone who was required by duty to work for the country”.

In a recent poll, Thais responded to the question “who would be the best Thai Prime Minister.

The youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, placed first in the most recent NIDA poll popularity survey. She hasn’t even declared that she will run as a prime ministerial candidate. The second most popular candidate was the leader of the opposition Move Forward party. The current PM polled in third place with 11.6% of the poll votes.

However, PM Prayut thinks otherwise. He says he’s not worried about the poll results, because “a poll is just a poll.”

The next general election in Thailand is set to be held later this year or by March next year. The prime minister maintains the prerogative to call the election and would visit Thailand’s Head of State to request the dissolution of parliament which would then initiate the election process.

Yesterday, fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, on the other hand, predicts that “pro-democracy” or opposition parties, will win the majority vote in the next general election.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post