People have mixed opinions on whether the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s ban on political activities should be relaxed or totally lifted, according to a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or the Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted on 1,033 people throughout the country between Aug 29-Sept 1 to compile their opinions about NCPO's announcement that it may lift or ease the ban on political activities.
About 46.3% of all respondents said the ban should be totally lifted to enable parties to prepare for the election; while 35.2% said the ban should be eased to allow some political activities. Meanwhile, 18.4% respondents said the total ban should remain in place, saying that the government should concentrate on the economy.
Asked for their chief concerns about lifting the political ban in its entirety, 48.9% respondents said the country would be plagued with conflicts, while 35.7% believed that political groups would rally and protest.
About 25.35% of those surveyed believed that campaigns might turn violent, while 22% respondents feared that people would not respect the laws.
The remaining 17.19% said the government would find it difficult to keep the situation under control.
About 41.57% of respondents said the government should issue clear campaigning guidelines; 40.1% said political parties should be allowed to pick their own candidates; 27% said parties should be allowed to elect their leaders; 17% said parties should be allowed to campaign on social media; and 13.8% said the election date should be clearly set and constituencies defined.
The Suan Dusit poll also found that 39.6% of respondents believed that the ban on large-scale, public political campaigns should be retained.
Another 36.2% mentioned party meetings and political gatherings, while the remaining 24.1% believed party-organised voter outreach activities should be banned.
