People’s Party fields Bangkok governor hopeful with 'easy Bangkok' campaign

The People’s Party has announced that it is fielding its deputy leader, Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, in the upcoming Bangkok gubernatorial election, emphasising its campaign for an “easy” Bangkok.

The announcement came at a party event in the capital’s downtown area yesterday, following weeks of media reports and speculation that Chaiwat would run.

Chaiwat said that people in the capital have found it difficult to live in Bangkok due to various problems, including transportation, childcare and technological disruption leading to unemployment.

“People living in Bangkok forget that the city could actually make their lives better. Life in Bangkok should not be this hard,” the deputy leader said, adding that change can be brought about by making the right choice at the polls.

Voters will go to the polls to elect their city’s new leader on June 28. Incumbent Chadchart Sittipunt, whose term will expire on May 28, is widely expected to run for another term.

Chadchart received the highest number of votes in the country’s history in 2022. Voters will also elect the 50 members of Bangkok’s city council on the same day.

Chaiwat is campaigning on easy childcare, easy trade, easy transportation and an easy life.

He has also pledged to allow local communities to develop their own tourist areas, upskill residents, make Bangkok more accessible for pedestrians, improve public transportation and tackle corruption in the bureaucracy.

“Choose an agenda that will make the capital a refuge when we fall and the wind beneath our wings when we are ready to move forward,” he added.

A PhD graduate in computer science from Japan’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Chaiwat has served as deputy director of the Bank of Thailand’s Office of Corporate Strategy and as a senior researcher at NEC Corporation.

In addition to the People’s Party, which swept all MP seats in Bangkok in the last general election, the Democrat Party has announced it will compete in the gubernatorial and council races, along with other veteran independent politicians.