The Centre and the East. Just as the South was regarded as the bastion of the Democrats, so too was the Centre/East region considered to be the bailiwick of Chart Thai. In September it captured 38 of the 83 seats, four less than in March, and 26 more than any other party(See Table 9.4). Despite a concerted pro-democracy campaign against party strongman Banharn in Suphan Buri, the party team captured all five seats, with voters possibly heeding the advice of the provincial governor to help "Suphan Buri MPs to get the most votes in Thailand." As in March, Banharn emerged as the MP with the largest number of votes in the country.
Chart thai were remnarkably entrerched, with 33 srmer membenter net, itats lost oncluding three to former CTP memb who had defected a Chan Pattana), but three new seats picked up from NAu PDP and STP Chart Pattana's success was almost entirely the result of attracting former MPs from other parties. Of its 12 wins, 10 came from MPs--five from STP four from Chart Thai and one from Prachakorn Thai. The Democrat's nine new seats all came at the expense of incumbent-devir party candidates. In his home province of Rayong, former TV anchorman iakkraphand Yomchinda, running under the Democrat banner, was assured of a seat Palang Dharma won two new seats from the "devils". but lost two as well. must have been it had virtually stood still. Even in provinces close to Bangkok where it had hoped there would be an over-spill of its influence following the events of May, it failed to make inroads. As in the North, the power of money an patronage seemed to be the key to electoral victory.