Council elections: the hidden shaper of Bangkok’s future

The upcoming Bangkok Council election may be receiving far less attention than the gubernatorial poll, but it will be equally crucial in shaping the capital’s future over the next four years.

The election of councillors serves not just as a vital check-and-balance to the governor’s executive power but also as a way for national political parties to gauge their support.

A total of 258 candidates are vying for the 50 council seats up for grabs. The opposition People’s Party and Democrats are each fielding 50 candidates, with another 50 running as independents.

The ruling coalition’s Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai are officially skipping the race, but Pheu Thai is backing candidates running under affiliated banners.

Specifically, 16 contenders are campaigning under the “Pheu Thai Life Long Tua” (Pheu Thai: A Well-Balanced Life) group, alongside 46 from the Khon Tham Ngan group and 33 from a faction associated with the outgoing governor and current frontrunner, Chadchart Sittipunt.

The other contenders are the Better Bangkok Group (seven candidates) and Thailand’s Future Party (five). The 258th candidate has yet to declare his affiliation.

Bangkokians will head to the polls to vote for both their district councillor and city governor on June 28.

What do Bangkok councillors do?

As per the 1985 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act, the Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMC) serves as the legislative branch of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which acts as a check on the governor’s executive powers.

The council comprises 50 elected members, each representing a separate district of the capital.

Councillors have four key responsibilities: monitoring and scrutinising the BMA’s work; studying municipal problems and proposing solutions; reviewing and voting on city ordinances; and reviewing, approving and overseeing the use of the BMA’s annual budget, which usually hovers around 90 billion baht (US$ 2.73 billion).

As direct representatives of their respective districts, the councillors are also tasked with receiving public complaints and addressing them in coordination with BMA agencies.

Assoc Prof Pitch Pongsawat, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University (CU), notes that city councillors are the closest political representatives Bangkokians have.

“Bangkok does not have village heads or kamnans, and the lower tier of representatives has been removed,” the lecturer said. That leaves Bangkok councillors as the crucial link between residents and the city’s complex bureaucracy.

“They help with everyday issues like lighting, broken footpaths, waste collection and local community activities, coordinating directly with municipal agencies to fulfil their constituents’ demands,” Pitch explained.

Performance over past 4 years

Data on the BMC’s performance between 2020 and 2026 indicates that councillors did not shy away from their duties. According to open-data platform WeVis, they submitted 130 interpellations and proposed 211 motions, while also conducting 387 studies, probes, and follow-ups through BMC committees.

They also reviewed 31 draft city laws – covering everything from land zoning to pet regulation – and proposed another 14 ordinances to address urgent issues. Most importantly, councillors reviewed the BMA’s annual budget of over 90 billion baht and monitored how the funds were spent.

After public finances and city expenditure, the issues most frequently addressed on the floor of the council are the BMA’s administration, health and safety standards for construction projects, waste management, drainage and flood prevention, traffic, public safety, and community development.

However, some experts criticise the council for a lack of transparency and accountability, pointing out that voting records of councillors are not published.

Critics also argue that the BMC routinely ignores deep-rooted social problems like homeless people, the physically challenged and low-income earners.

Boring poll?

Assoc Prof Stithorn Thananithichot, another CU political science lecturer, said Bangkokians tend to pay little attention to councillors because they hold no direct power over city-wide policy.

“It is the Bangkok governor and city executives who are directly in charge of managing public concerns and issues. But the councillors are useful when addressing specific issues at the district level,” Stithorn said.

He added that some voters mistakenly believe that councillors only exist to hinder the governor’s efforts to improve the capital.

Echoing that point, Pitch said many voters are confused over whether Bangkok councillors should support the governor or act like an opposition.

“In reality, these points are irrelevant. Being on the same side undermines the check-and-balance system, while being on the opposite side won’t always result in constructive criticism,” he explained.

Stithorn said Bangkokians should understand that councillors can speak up for them far more directly than Bangkok MPs, who tend to be focused more on national issues.

“If you think the BMA or the governor are not paying enough attention to your complaints, then you can turn to your local councillor,” he added.

Local battleground with national significance

National parties are key to keen secure a strong foothold in the BMC because it holds massive strategic advantages. Having candidates elected to the council allows parties to build a local support base that translates into votes when the national general election comes around.

Securing control over the BMC also gives a party the power to hold the BMA’s multibillion-baht executive agenda in check.

“Bangkok is always a key indicator of national political sentiment,” Stithorn said.

The People’s Party – which swept every Bangkok seat on offer in February’s general election – will be aiming to repeat that domination during the council polls.

Meanwhile the Democrat Party, reinvigorated by the return of Abhisit Vejjajiva as leader, is hoping to regain a foothold in its old stronghold.

Independents lead the race

In a NIDA Poll survey of voters conducted between June 2 and 4, independent candidates led the BMC race with 29.1% support.

People’s Party candidates came a close second with 26.5% and Democrat Party contenders were third on 11.5%.

Some 6.05% said they would vote for candidates linked to Chadchart, Pheu Thai or the Khon Tham Ngan parties. However, a significant 18.35% of the voters remained undecided.