Thailand: Bangkok votes in new governor for first time in almost a decade
- Thailand’s capital Bangkok overwhelmingly voted for an independent to be its new governor
- Chadchart Sittipunt, a former transport minister, won support across the political spectrum
A former transport minister in the Thai government ousted by a 2014 military coup won Bangkok’s first governor election for nine years on Sunday in what some observers say is a sign of the waning popularity of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt, 55, won the election by a record 1.3 million votes while his nearest rivals both captured about 250,000 votes, according to the unofficial result announced by the Election Commission.
The poll is the first governor race since 2013, with 31 candidates seeking to win the support of the capital’s 4.4 million eligible voters, including 700,000 first-time voters.
Bangkok is the only province in Thailand to elect its own governor every four years since 1985, though the process was suspended when former military junta leader Prayuth came to power in the 2014 coup.
Prayuth won a 2019 general election that critics say was flawed. The Thai government has rejected the accusations and said the poll was free and fair.
Since July 2020 Prayuth has been the target of the biggest anti-government protests in years.
