2013 Bangkok gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:2013 Bangkok gubernatorial election
Country:Thailand
Flag Image:Flag of Bangkok.svg
Type:presidential
Vote Type:Popular
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2009 Bangkok gubernatorial election
Previous Year:2009
Election Date:3 March 2013
Next Election:2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election
Next Year:2022
Turnout:63.98%
Candidate1:Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Party1:Democrat Party (Thailand)
Popular Vote1:1,256,349
Percentage1:47.75%
Candidate2:Pongsapat Pongcharoen
Party2:Pheu Thai Party
Popular Vote2:1,077,899
Percentage2:40.97%
Candidate3:Sereepisuth Temeeyaves
Party3:Independent politician
Popular Vote3:166,582
Percentage3:6.33%
Map Size:350px
Governor
Before Election:Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Before Party:Democrat Party (Thailand)
After Election:Sukhumbhand Paribatra
After Party:Democrat Party (Thailand)

The tenth election for the governorship of Bangkok took place on 3 March 2013. The election was won by incumbent governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the Democrat Party. Twenty-five candidates contested the election. Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen, representing the Pheu Thai Party, was regarded as the other major contender.

Campaign

The election was scheduled to take place sixty days after Sukhumbhand resigned on 9 January 2013, his second-to-last day of office. (Resignation, as opposed to completion of the term, effectively extended the election deadline for another fifteen days.) The Election Commission accepted registrations on 21–25 January, although unofficial campaigning had begun earlier.

The election was viewed as a sharp contest between the Democrat Party, whose candidates had held the governorship since 2004, and the Pheu Thai Party, which lead the current national government. While Bangkok is regarded as a traditional stronghold of the Democrat Party, Sukhumbhand faced low public approval ratings. Prior to endorsing Sukhumbhand, the party faced internal controversy over the candidacy. Sukhumbhand's first-term performance was generally viewed as poor, a fact some have attributed to partisan conflicts between the city and national governments. The Pheu Thai Party picked up on this dissatisfaction and campaigned on "seamless coordination" between the governments. Its candidate, Pongsapat, previously served as spokesman of the Royal Thai Police.

Candidates

The highlight of the election was also other candidates who ran independently, including:[1]

Results

Sukhumbhand won the election with 1,256,349 votes,[3] or 47.75% percent of votes cast. Pongsapat won 1,077,899 votes (40.97%). Voter turnout was 63.98 percent.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: th:เปิดประวัติ 25 ผู้สมัครผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร . Let's see the 25 candidates in Bangkok gubernatorial election . http://hilight.kapook.com/view/80114 . kapook.com . n.d. . 2013-03-01 . Thai.
  2. Web site: th:ฮือฮา! ธรณี ฤทธีธรรมรงค์ สมัครผู้ว่าฯ ตามบัญชาสวรรค์ . Don't panic! Thoranee Rittheethamrong applies for candidacy in accordance with Heaven's mandate . http://www.khaosod.co.th/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNMU9URTVOelF6TXc9PQ== . Khaosod . 2013-01-26 . 2013-03-01 . Thai.
  3. Web site: Chongkolrattanaporn. Teerada. Combs. Howard. THAI CITIZENS' UTILIZATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES DURING THE BANGKOK GOVERNOR CAMPAIGN IN 2013. Chulalongkorn University & San Jose State University. 11 November 2015.
  4. Web site: ผลการเลือกตั้งผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร ผลอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ ณ เวลา 21:53 น. . Bangkok governor election results: Unofficial results as of 21:53 . Bangkok Metropolitan Administration website . 3 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130306005310/http://www.bangkok.go.th/election56/ . March 6, 2013 .