Page 18 - kpiebook63011

18 การศึกษาความเคลื่อนไหวทางการเมืองและพฤติกรรมการเลือกตั้งสมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎร 2562 จังหวัดเชียงใหม่

of party-list candidates, but, instead, focus on four things: the list of people the parties

proposed as prime minister or leaders of the parties; names of political parties; the MP
candidates in their own constituency; and the policies of the parties, especially economic

policies and poverty alleviation. In Chiang Mai, especially the outskirts of the Muang District,
most people still remember the policies of the Thai Rak Thai Party and express a need for

similar populist policies from political parties campaigning in the election.

One clear observation is that since all votes cast contribute to the party list calculation,
all parties had an incentive to field candidates in every constituency, regardless of whether they

would be likely to win in any particular constituency. Therefore, this election was increasing
roles of males, females, and the third gender in the political participation in Chiang Mai Province.

In other words, the electoral system was important conditions in determining the women’s
political opportunity as there were 73 female qualified candidates in this election. Despite

this, the only woman who won, in Constituency 1, was a former MP and a descendant from
a political family.

Another political change in Chiang Mai is related to first-time voters as they are
important both in terms of the strategic direction of political parties and a sign of the

transitioning political era. In Chiang Mai, there are 12 universities and it is undeniable that

this group of people seem to favor the Future Forward Party, which is in line with the party’s
election strategy. Coupled with a format and method of campaigning that continuously
focuses on online media and public activities in Chiang Mai, the Future Forward Party gained

a considerable amount of votes from the new generation of people in the province. But what

is interesting is how the Future Forward Party expanded its popularity into the outer areas and
that enabled the party to obtain the second-highest total vote tally, after Pheu Thai Party.
When considering the candidates for the Future Forward Party in the nine constituencies,

it was found that none had any previous experience in running for election as an MP and they

were simply considered the “new faces” candidates. Data concerning the first-time voters in
Chiang Mai clearly shows that the decision to vote for the Future Forward Party is linked to
the party leader and the presentation of ideological ideas and approaches voicing the need

for change and the image of the new generation.