Thai politicians dangle RM413bil worth of campaign promises

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, one of the opposition Pheu Thai party's top politicians it is set to nominate to become the next prime minister, recieved flowers from supporters at Thammasat University's indoor gymnasium in Pathum Thani province north of Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 17, 2023. Thailand’s largest opposition party unveiled on Friday a list of policies and 400 prospective candidates they will be fielding in the upcoming elections expected to take place in May. Paetongtarn Shinawatra is daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit).

BANGKOK, March 18 (Bloomberg): With Thailand heading into a general election in May, key political parties are promising the nation’s more than 50 million voters almost everything from steep increases in cash handouts and wages to suspending debt repayment.

Pledges from the top nine parties so far will require about 3.14 trillion baht (US$92 billion - RM413bil) per year, after excluding their overlapping policies, according to an analysis by Thailand Development Research Institute. The litany of promises from two parties will require 2 trillion baht each per year to implement, the institute said.