Can Chadchart break the ‘two-term jinx’ of Bangkok governors?

Like most of his predecessors, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt is seeking a second term – but on June 28, voters will decide whether he becomes only the fourth city chief to secure re-election.

The exclusive club of two-time Bangkok governors comprises Chamlong Srimuang, who served from November 1985 to January 1992, Apirak Kosayothin (August 2004 to November 2008), and Sukhumbhand Paribatra (January 2009 to October 2016). Both Apirak and Sukhumbhand were Democrat Party candidates, while Chamlong contested as an independent.

A political jinx?

However, all three failed to complete their full tenure – triggering talk that two-term city chiefs are jinxed.

Apirak was indicted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission just weeks after being re-elected in October 2008. The case stemmed from a corruption-riddled purchase of city fire engines under his predecessor, Samak Sundaravej. Apirak resigned as Bangkok governor in November 2008 to fight the case. He was cleared of the allegations by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Sukhumbhand won the 2009 election held after Apirak quit, before being re-elected in 2013. During his second term, he was accused of wasting the city budget on expensive projects. Amid growing criticism against the governor, the military government removed him from office in October 2016, just five months before the end of his second term.

Chamlong, who was re-elected in 1990 with an impressive 63.5% of all votes, resigned after two years in office to lead his Palang Dharma Party into the 1992 general election. His party came fifth, winning 41 out of 360 MP seats up for grabs and joining the opposition in Parliament.

The elected ones

Of the city’s 17 governors since the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was established in December 1972, eight were elected, and nine were appointed.

Thammanoon Thien-ngern of the Democrat Party became Bangkok’s first elected governor after winning at the ballot box in August 1975. However, only 13.3% of the city’s 1.89 million eligible voters participated in the election. The four Bangkok governors who preceded Thammanoon were all appointed by the Cabinet.

However, Thammanoon had served barely two years at the city’s helm when he was removed in April 1977 by the post-coup government following infighting within his administration.

The next decade saw four Bangkok governors appointed by the Interior Ministry, before gubernatorial elections were revived in 1985. Chamlong, a military veteran with a reputation for asceticism, overcame his underdog status to emerge as Bangkok’s second elected governor.

Following Chamlong’s second-term exit, his political ally Prof Krisda Arunvong won the 1992 gubernatorial election and served a full four-year term.

Krisda sought re-election in 1996 but was defeated by independent candidate Bhichit Rattakul, the runner-up four years earlier under the Democrat Party banner.

Bhichit opted not to seek a second term in 2000, instead shifting to national politics by launching and leading a new party.

One-million milestone

Veteran politician Samak Sundaravej made a historic transition from national to local politics, becoming the first governor candidate to secure more than one million votes.

Apirak succeeded Samak as the 14th Bangkok governor in 2004. After stepping down to clear his name in court during his second term, Apirak never returned to local politics, later serving as a Democrat list MP and deputy party leader.

Sukhumbhand succeeded Apirak after setting a new record at the 2009 gubernatorial election, winning 1.25 million votes, compared to Samak’s 1.02 million.

After ousting Sukhumbhand in 2016, junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha tapped deputy governor Aswin Kwanmuang to replace him. Aswin, a former Metropolitan Police chief, served as city governor for five years and six months – longer than any appointed BMA chief executive.

In May 2022, Chadchart scored a historic landslide victory, receiving 1.38 million votes – over half (51.8%) of the total ballots cast and more than his 30 competitors combined.

Opinion polls make Chadchart a strong favourite to secure re-election next month, albeit by a narrower margin than four years ago.