Forget lifesize campaign posters featuring Thaksin or Yingluck Shinawatra or Chuan Leekpai in the upcoming election. But Prayut Chan-o-cha? Maybe.
The Election Commission has drafted a regulation banning the use of photos of anyone else in campaign posters other than MP candidates, their party leaders or prime ministerial candidates.
As a result, MP candidates can no longer exploit the popularity of influential supporters such as Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra in the case of the Pheu Thai Party, or Chuan Leekpai for the Democrats.
Photos of the three politicians were deployed extensively in past elections, but since none of them is a leader or prime ministerial candidate in the poll scheduled for Feb 24, their faces cannot be put on MP posters.
As well, some parties are keeping recent history in mind when they select their leaders. Given that the courts have dissolved several parties in the past for various breaches, parties fearing such a fate are careful not to declare their key figures as leaders, since they could be banned from running for years if a dissolution were ordered. They tend to put their key people in other positions, chairman of the advisory board being popular.
Former PMs Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra have been living abroad since they were convicted of conflict of interest and dereliction of duty respectively. Mr Chuan, an iconic figure for many Democrats but now 80 years old, made clear early on that he was not interested in becoming prime minister again.
That leaves Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current leader of the Democrat Party, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is known to be on the PM candidate list of the Palang Pracharath Party, among the most prominent faces voters might see on posters. Gen Prayut, however, maintains that no party has approached him yet so he has yet to make a decision on his political future.
The new regulations also cap the number of posters an MP candidate may use at two times the number of polling stations in the constituency.
The candidate’s party may also put up posters promoting the party in general but the number may not exceed the number of polling stations in each constituency.
The EC will also create a campaign poster for each MP candidate to be put in a place that is yet to be decided in each constituency. The size will be A3 (29.7 x 42cm).
As well, the EC says, each candidate can use no more than 10 vehicles during the campaign.
