People’s party picks deputy leader to run for Bangkok governor

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

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

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

“[People living in Bangkok] forget that Bangkok could actually make their lives better. Life in Bangkok should not be this hard,” the deputy leader said, adding that changes 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 28th. Incumbent Chadchart Sittipunt, whose term will expire on May 28th, is widely expected to run for another term.

Chadchart received the most votes in the country’s history in 2022. People will also vote for 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

Chaiwat has also pledged to let locals to develop their tourist areas by themselves, upskill residents, make Bangkok more accessible for pedestrians, improve public transportation and tackle corrupt bureaucratic systems.

“Choose agenda [for this election that would make] the capital a refuge when we fall and the wind beneath our wings when we are ready to move forward,” he added.

Graduating with a PhD 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.

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