Bangkok, Pattaya elections set for May 22, on coup anniversary
The first Bangkok governor and council elections in 12 years will be held on May 22, the eighth anniversary of the coup that toppled the Yingluck Shinawatra government.
Elections for Pattaya mayor and the city’s council also will be held on the same day.
The EC said on Monday that it would issue a formal announcement on March 25 on the holding of the Bangkok and Pattaya elections on Sunday, May 22.
Once the EC issues the announcement, the election director of local administrations in Bangkok and Pattaya will make arrangements for the elections in line with legal requirements.
The EC said candidates for the Bangkok and Pattaya elections should register between March 31 and April 4.
The May 22 coup against the Yingluck government eight years ago happened just as the Bangkok Council was about to complete its four-year tenure and a new election was due to be held. The ruling junta, the National Council for Peace and Order, suspended the city elections along with elections of other local administrations around the country.
Several senior figures have announced their intention to contest for the post of Bangkok governor. They include Democrat Party’s Prof Dr Suchatvee Suwansawat, Move Forward Party’s Wiroj Lakkhanadisorn and Chatchart Sitthiphan, who announced he would run as an independent.