BANGKOK: The youngest daughter of billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains Thailand’s top choice to become its next leader, according to an opinion poll, with more than double the score of incumbent and nearest rival Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, whose father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck both led popularly elected governments toppled in coups, was the top choice for 34pc of respondents in a survey by the Nat­ional Institute of Develo­pment Administration (NIDA).

Paetongtarn’s support rose sharply from 21.6pc from a September poll, when the majority surveyed were undecided. NIDA polled 2,000 voting-age people betw­een Dec 17 and Dec 22. Thailand must hold an election by May next year, according to its election commission, but no date has yet been set.

Best known by her nickname, “Ung Ing”, Paetongtarn is an executive in the Pheu Thai party, which has yet to name her as its prime minister candidate.

The Shinawatra name has proven to be a huge election draw in Thailand since 2001, synonymous with populist policies that won Thaksin, Yingluck and their allies tens of millions of votes from the rural poor and urban working classes in ballots between 2001 and 2011.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2022

Editorial

A hasty retreat
28 Nov, 2024

A hasty retreat

POLITICAL immaturity has cost the PTI dearly once again. It appears things may not have come to this had Bushra ...
Lebanon truce
28 Nov, 2024

Lebanon truce

WILL it hold? That is the question many in the Middle East and beyond will be asking after a 60-day ceasefire ...
MDR anomaly removed
28 Nov, 2024

MDR anomaly removed

THE State Bank’s decision to remove its minimum deposit rate requirement for conventional banks on deposits from...
Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...