Abstract:
The research entitled The Study of Political Movement and Electoral Behavior in the 2023 General Election in Suphan Buri contains 4 main objectives. They include (1) to study the political movement and behavior of actors in the political sector, including politicians,
political parties, and groups working related to political parties within Suphan Buri, (2) to study the political movement and behavior of actors in people s sector, including individual and groups of people in Suphan Buri, ( 3) to study the political movement and behavior, and the roles of the Election Commission and public sector organizations in Suphan Buri, and ( 4) to study the political and behavior, and the roles of non- public sector organizations performing watch-dog function in Suphan Buri.
This research is qualitative research employing interview techniques. Interviews were conducted with key informants, including election candidates, the Director of the Provincial Election Commission of Suphan Buri, the Chairman of the Election Commission of
Constituency, election officers, polling station inspectors, local businessmen, experts, mass media, election inspection organizations, and 21 voters. Also added to the data collection include the collecting of questionnaires from 402 samples, and non- participant observation.
The analysis is done with the use of basic statistical tools, including percentage, means and standard deviation, and descriptive analysis.
The research findings include:
1. The political movement and behavior of actors in the political sector : Nine political parties established local branches, and party representatives were appointed in 26 areas as constituency representatives and provincial representatives. 13 political parties nominated candidates. Eight parties fully endorsed candidates in five constituencies, and each constituency had 10- 12 candidates between the ages of 25 and 27. Most candidates lived in Suphan Buri. This was the first general election that the candidates from six political parties joined in vision debates during the election campaign at the provincial level. The election campaigning of the Chatthai Pattana Party and the Democrat Party appeared to be prominent. Campaign posters were intentionally and accidentally destroyed. Campaign posters, car campaign parades, and street campaigning were popularly employed by candidates.
2. The political movement and behavior of voters: more than 90 percent of registered pre-poll voters cast their votes. The result of the general election in Suphan Buri was that the Move Forward Party ( MFP) received the highest votes in the proportional representation system, gaining about 78 percent. Meanwhile, the Chatthai Pattana Party ( CPP) was ranked third in the proportional representation system but could win in all single- member constituencies. The CPP s elected candidates included Sorachud Suchitya, Nattavut Prasertsuwan, Noppadon Martsri, Samerkun Thiengtham, and Prapat Pothasuthon.
From the opinion surveys of the voters, the majority of informants were female, at the age of 46- 55, primary school graduates, general employees, and gaining 5,001- 10,000 baht monthly. The finding showed that voters were interested in following election news at a high level through electronic media, for example, the Internet, Facebook, and Instagram. Factors leading to their voting participation included news consumption and the location of polling stations near voters homes. Those who answered not to be interested in following the news explained that consuming political news caused them stress. The persons who had a strong
influence on the informants voting participation were candidates and party leaders. The voters voting decisions were strongly influenced by their considerations of political parties policies. There appeared few practices of vote buying. The voters got involved in the parties management and policymaking. The voters admiration of party leaders was an important factor in their support for parties. In addition, using a two- ballot system, the location of the polling station, and the performance of the duties of polling station officers were considered as appropriate.
The victory of the CPP in the single-member constituencies was mainly caused by (1) the high reputation and legacies of former Prime Minister Banharn Silapa- archa, ( 2) the influence of political families in the province, ( 3) the recognition of the CPP s work in the
development of the province and constituencies, and (4) the fact that the partys candidates have been continuously elected.
3. The political movement and behavior of the Election Commission and public
sector organizations in Suphan Buri:
The role of the director of the Provincial Election Commission and the Election Commission of Constituency before the election day: The election constituencies in Suphan Buri were divided into five constituencies based on the province s districts. This facilitated
candidates election campaigning. Schools were used as pre-poll voting stations. The university hall of Suan Dusit University, Suphan Buri was used as the candidate registration office. 54 candidates from 13 political parties ran in this general election. The provincial election commission prepared the readiness of officers to perform their duties and lists of eligible voters. The procurement of election- related equipment required specific methods due to delayed budget transfer. The commissions means of promoting the general election included the use of public relations posters, the use of characters in traditional literature to convey messages, and the use of famous traditional folk songs which were distributed via social media platforms, radio stations, community announcements, and personal media. On election day, the performance of the election officers, including the planning, the division of duties, and
the preparation of lists of candidates and numbers of candidates and political parties, was able to facilitate voters participation and was regarded as appropriate. There were some problems during the election day. Holding meetings of election officers during office hours disturbed school staff. Others included hot weather and natural disasters. On the post-election day, the reporting of election results was hampered by rain. However, the delivery of ballot boxes and documents followed official guidance.
The activities of electoral management received cooperation from the Interior Ministry, the Education Ministry, temples, schools, local administrative organizations, and the private sector. The cooperation appeared in the forms of producing public relations media, being a place to publicize election news, allowing their personnel to perform as election officers, and permitting the use of their places as polling stations.
4. The election monitoring: mass media and the Open Forum for Democracy Foundation ( P- NET) actively monitored the activities of electoral management done by the Election Commission. Overall, the general election was perceived as transparent.