Building and Maintaining Pheu Thai Party’ Electoral Base in Chiang Rai Province During 2001-2019

Abstract

This article aims to study a mechanism of building and maintaining an electoral base of Thai Rak Thai Party, People Power Party, and Pheu Thai Party in Chiang Rai province. The article employs a qualitative methodology to collect data by in-depth interviews key informants in Chiang Rai province, reviewing relevant literature, researches and electoral statistics information. The result shows that Thai Rak Thai Party, People Power Party, and Pheu Thai Party have four important mechanisms, which are party’s policies, the party’s coordination center, the party’s candidates and electoral canvassers of the party. These mechanisms are important to maintain and build an electoral based which can be seen from a number of Pheu Thai Party members from all constituencies in Chiang Rai province in the parliament seats from 2001-2011. In 2019, moreover, Pheu Thai Party still remains hold on the majority of the parliament seats from Chiang Rai province. In addition, the result also shows that a party organization management of Pheu Thai Party rather focuses the victory in the election than strengthen the concept of democracy within the party.