(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

More in: Move Forward Party

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

(CTN News) – For the second time, the Constitutional Court has warned the Move Forward Party not to mention active court matters.

The party was previously questioned when its senior leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, was involved in the iTV share case. The court issued a warning via press release after taking issue with certain remarks made by the party.

In Pita’s case, the court told the party that commenting on cases in various media channels was inappropriate. Expressing thoughts, whether good or negative, on a case before the court has announced its ruling is considered influencing or pushing the judges, which is inappropriate and warrants a warning.

The court is considering a dissolution case against the party in response to the Move Forward Party’s demand to change the lese-majeste legislation, which falls under the offense of attempting to undermine the constitutional monarchy system of government. The Constitutional Court had earlier ruled against the party, ordering it to retract the policy.

In the most recent summons document, released on Wednesday for the hearing scheduled for June 12, the court issued a warning at the end, stating that before the Constitutional Court issues a verdict, the parties should refrain from commenting on cases that may influence public opinion, as this could impact the court’s deliberations.

A political party or individual group receives a warning in practically all politically linked issues decided by the Constitutional Court.

Before the court’s ruling is finalized, high-ranking party officials typically announce the news confidently, claiming that their actions were not illegal and frequently criticizing political structures.

The latest provocation for the Constitutional Court’s warning came from an interview with Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon, who stated, “We understand that the verdict to be issued is not solely based on legal grounds.” There are political motivations involved. Everyone knows that political forces significantly influenced the Move Forward Party’s collapse.

His words were interpreted as casting doubt on the court’s credibility, resulting in the warning.

Parit Wacharasindhu, a spokesperson for Move Forward Party, stated that if a court decides to dissolve the party, the organization will reveal its battle plan on June 9. Historically, no political party facing accusations has revealed its lawsuit plan before the court’s decision.

Despite the court’s warning, Move Forward stated that it would continue to announce its legal strategy on June 9, as planned, and clarified that the event was not designed to pressure the court or influence its decision.

Move Forward Party has continually called for structural changes in governance and challenged existing power systems.

Previously, prominent ideological elements in the party, such as Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, proposed dissolving the charter court.

The relationship between the Move Forward Party and the Constitutional Court appears to be one of constant confrontation, with each encounter characterized by strong, pointed attacks.

However, in today’s political context, the Move Forward Party is viewed as the underdog, under continual criticism and pressure, with their political status at stake. As a result, the current situation appears to be a final battle for the party’s existence.

It remains to be seen whether the Move Forward Party will continue to spew strong rhetoric that impacts the judicial process and whether the Constitutional Court will respond if its warning proves futile.