Page 9 - kpiebook63001

Executive Summary

Political Activities and Electoral Behavior in the 2019
Thailand General Election: Case Study of Roi Et Province

Political competition and activities in Roi Et Province during Thailand’s 2019 general
election were intense and produced multiple levels of competition, due to the number of
outstanding candidates in each constituency. As can be seen, many prominent party leaders

campaigned in the province, particularly to speak with local supporters several times.
Moreover, various forms of campaign activities were more impactful than previous elections

due to the large number of candidates and political parties. Additionally, this is the first
election to take place since the 2014 military coup. Thus, the political climate and the
election encouraged a high increase in awareness.

It could be seen that provincial governing bodies, especially under the umbrella of
the Minister of Interior, and local administrative organizations, including soldiers, played a

significant role regarding the facilitation and support of the provincial election commission
in managing the election process. Various political groups did not clearly support or oppose
specific candidates or political parties. Likewise, the Red Shirt Movement, which had played

a significant role in the 2011 elections, not only continued to support candidates from
the Phuea Thai Party but also spread out to support candidates from other political parties

as well.

In terms of political campaigns, vote canvassing and vote buying still exist in various
forms, but they are much less influential on the voters’ decisions than they have been in

the past. The factors that instead have a more powerful influence on people’s choices include
policy competition, learning from the ideological struggle throughout a decade of Thai political

conflict, economic growth at both national and local levels, and the popularity of the
government in regard to the political situation at the time. Furthermore, various campaign
methods, both traditional and modern, were widely utilized during this election. It was found

that many social media applications became popular tools for communication, increasing

การศึกษาความเคลื่อนไหวทางการเมืองและพฤติกรรมการเลือกตั้งสมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎร 2562 จังหวัดร้อยเอ็ด