People's concerns about the general election tentatively set for early next centre on vote-buying, fraud, government interference and the fear of political chaos, according to the result of an opinion survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted on Sept 26-29 on 1,085 people throughout the country to compile their opinions on the upcoming election expected to be fiercely contested by both old and new political parties.
Asked what they are concerned about in the upcoming election, 41.03% said they were afraid the election would be plagued by unfair competition, vote-buying, fraud and partiality on the part of government officials; 33.79% feared possible political chaos; 16.14% said they were afraid the people would be flooded with rumours and fabrications; and 14.03% were concerned that incidents in the run-up to the election might lead to its further postponement.
Asked to provide suggestions for making the election a success, a slight majority - 53.40% - of respondents said it should be clean and fair; 37.76% said parties and candidates should concentrate on competing on vision, policies, and practicalities; 18.37% said political campaigning should focus on points of interest and should be easy to understand; and 6.80% want all parties to join hands to create a favourable political atmosphere.
A slight majority - 51.15% - of respondents said they expected competition in the next election to be as fierce as in the past; 28.48% said it would be fiercer than before; and 20.37% said it would be less fierce.
