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ข่าวเด่นเพื่อไทย * Abhisit Pledges to Help Families Cope With Food Costs Before Election Test Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's prime minister, speaks during Thailand Focus 2011 in Bangkok. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva promised policies to help families cope with rising fuel and food costs that threaten to undermine his party’s gains ahead of this year’s national elections. Abhisit’s Democrat party leads in every region of the country except for the northeast, he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Bangkok today, without citing a specific poll. Abhisit has said he’ll dissolve Parliament in early May to trigger an election about six months before his term ends. The Democrat party aims “to help put money in people’s pockets so that they can cope with rising prices,” Abhisit said. “Families are struggling despite the economic recovery to keep up with prices, and it’s better to have a government with a fresh mandate to really tackle them.” Abhisit, 46, took power in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a court disbanded the ruling party linked to fugitive ex-Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, triggering protests from his supporters that have claimed about 100 lives. The Democrats have narrowed the gap on their main rivals in by-elections since the 2007 nationwide vote while overseeing Thailand’s fastest economic growth in 15 years. The prime minister is “dreaming” if he thinks the Democrats will win the most seats, said Pichai Naripthaphan, a former deputy finance minister and a member of the pro-Thaksin Puea Thai party. Internal polls show his party winning as many as 300 of 500 parliamentary seats up for grabs, Pichai said. “Things are going in our favor,” he said by phone. “Nobody can go against the people’s will.” Government Popularity Consumer confidence fell for the first time in three months in February after oil and food prices surged. Thailand’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate on March 9 for the second time in three months and signaled further increases, joining Asian central banks battling to counter the highest oil costs since 2008. “I don’t think you can take anything for granted with elections in Thailand,” said Supavud Saicheua, managing director of Phatra Securities Pcl, Thailand’s second-biggest brokerage by market value. “Higher oil prices and higher product prices, rising interest rates and several accusations of corruption have affected the popularity of this government.”*