M.L. Sukhumbhand Paribatra surrounded by Democrat heavyweights applaud as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra concedes her party had lost. CHANAT KATANYU
By Terry Fredrickson
Poll after poll, taken just before the election (entry polls) and during the election (exit polls) were wrong – not just a little bit but by a wide margin.
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Real poll gives Sukhumbhand victory
A humorous photo and caption portraying a confused Thaksin Shinawatra from Democrat Sirichoke Sopha's Facebook page: "Could I speak to the head of the poll please?," an obvious reference to remarkably flawed opinion poll results.
One thing seems clear from the Bangkok governor election results. Bangkok voters don't seem to trust the agencies that carry out opinion polls. Poll after poll, taken just before the election (entry polls) and during the election (exit polls) were wrong – not just a little bit but by a wide margin.
In the end, MR Sukhumbhand of the Democrat Party, who polls had trailing his Phue Thai opponent Pongsapat Pongchaeron throughout the campaign, won a comfortable 180,000 vote victory in the nearly complete totals.
As the MR Sukhumbhand lead kept increasing, Sukhum Chaloeysap, whose Suan Dusit poll had predicted Pol Gen Pongsapat would win a 10 percentage point victory, revealed on Channel 3 TV that pollsters had received a harsh reception from voters, complete with threats of calling the police.
Just before 7pm and four hours after the polls had closed, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, speaking on behalf of the Pheu Thai Party, congratulated MR Sukhumbhand on his certain re-election as Bangkok governor and conceded her party's candidate had been defeated.
"I am ready to work with the Bangkok governor without a dividing line," the prime minister said.
Shortly afterwards, at the Democrat Party's headquarters, MR Sukhumbhand said he would like to thank the people who helped him to get more than one million votes in the gubernatorial election.
His total of more than 1.25 million votes was the highest ever for a Bangkok governor candidate. Voter turnout, at over 64 percent, was also quite high, especially for a day marred by heavy rains.
Includes content from a bangkokpost.com story
M.L. Sukhumbhand Paribatra wearing his lucky shirt from morning to evening. Photos by Patitpat Janthong and Pornprom Satrabhaya.
Vocabulary
surround – to be everywhere around someone/something; encircle ล้อมรอบ
heavyweight – someone or something that has a lot of influence, status, or knowledge คนที่มีอิทธิพลมาก,คนที่ฉลาดมาก
applaud – to clap (hit) your hands together again and again to show enjoyment or appreciation
concede defeat – to admit that you have lost (ยอมรับความพ่ายแพ้)
trust – to believe someone is honest, fair, and reliable เชื่อใจ, ไว้วางใจ
opinion poll – an occasion when a lot of people are asked about what they feel about something – การสำรวจความคิดเห็น
margin – the number of votes by which someone wins an election จำนวนคะแนน
opponent – someone who is competing against you ฝ่ายตรงข้าม
campaign – a planned series of activities designed to persuade voters to vote for a particular candidate or political party การรณรงค์หาสียง
trail – to be behind some in a competition ตาม
predict – to say that an event or action will happen in the future, especially as a result of knowledge or experience คาดการณ์ว่า พยากรณ์จากสถิติว่า
reveal – to let something become known เปิดเผย
pollster – a person or organisation that prepares and carries out a poll — ผู้/นักสำรวจความคิดเห็น
harsh – strict, unkind and often unfair อย่างรุนแรง
reception – the way in which someone or something is received or welcomed การต้อนรับ
threat – saying that you might do something bad or harmful, especially in order to make someone do something การขู่เข็ญ การคุกคาม ทำให้กลัว
humorous – funny and entertaining; showing a sense of humour ตลก,ขบขัน
portray – to describe or show somebody/something in a particular way, especially when this does not give a complete or accurate impression of what they are like พรรณนา, วาดภาพ
reference – mentioning someone or something การอ้างถึง, การอ้างอิง
remarkably – in a way that is unusual and surprises or impresses you อย่างน่าอัศจรรย์ใจ
flawed – spoiled by something มีข้อบกพร่อง
on behalf of – as a representative of ในนามของ ในฐานะของ
congratulate – to praise someone about their success, good luck or happiness on a special occasion แสดงความยินดี
candidate – a person who is trying to be elected ผู้สมัครรับเลือกตั้ง
headquarters – the place where an organisation or company has its main offices สำนักงานใหญ่ กองบัญชาการ
turnout – the number or percentage of eligible voters who vote in an election จำนวนผู้ออกมาลงคะแนน
mar – to spoil something ทำให้เสียหาย
