Of the eight, who were selected randomly, only one said she would not vote if Thaksin made it clear he would forgo being PM.

Another said he would wait and see, while another said she recently decided to stop supporting both the premier and the party due to their questionable performance.

The five who said they would vote for Thai Rak Thai again were all poor and working class.

"I'll vote for Thaksin because he has done a lot of things that benefit local communities," tuk-tuk driver Boonlert Charoensap said.

"I have to choose his party as I don't see any party as capable as them," said Kanitha Yawichai, a worker at an Internet cafe in the Night Bazaar area.

"I will still choose the party because they help poor people," street-sweeper Sripen Hinjai said.

Jonrak Kaewmul, 42, a clerk at Book Corner on Tha Pae Road, said if the Thai Rak Thai Party is not dissolved by a Constitution Court ruling over electoral fraud allegations, she would vote for them. "We are grassroots people. If the party's policy is to help us - then I won't change my mind."

Thiemchan Chumvarathayee, a 30-something front-office worker at the Galare Guest House, said she had changed her mind and would not be supporting Thai Rak Thai, if Thaksin decided not to be the PM.

"I want the prime minister to be a Chiang Mai native so the province will benefit."

Veerachai Lertpoomwilai, the owner of a Muslim khao soi noodle shop, said while he voted for Thai Rak Thai last time, he preferred to wait. Thaksin remaining as PM was not so important, he said.

"The premier has done  many things that were legal but morally wrong. I don't think Thaksin should become prime minister again because he gave his word that he would take a break from politics. It might be good for him to take leave for a whole term, but he doesn't want to because he enjoys being prime minister for his own benefit. The economy has also gone down by half."

Bleak economic conditions and allegations of unprecedented levels of corruption by Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party members also put off another Chiang Mai resident, who used to vote for Thai Rak Thai.

The woman, who owns a hilltribe-style gift shop on Tha Pae Road, said she was sick of Thaksin and politics, seeing the economy and her business get worse.

"I most probably won't be voting for anyone this time. None of them keep their promises. The economy is bad and the footpath here has been under construction for four years and it's still not finished," said the shopkeeper, who did not want to be named.

Earlier this year, about half of some Chiang Mai residents, also interviewed randomly, said they would not vote for Thai Rak Thai. Most cited corruption as the reason.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

Chiang Mai