People’s Party congratulates Chadchart on Bangkok governor win
Three senior People’s Party figures concede defeat in the Bangkok and Pattaya races, congratulate Chadchart on his victory and pledge to heed criticism.
- People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut congratulated Chadchart Sittipunt on his apparent re-election as Bangkok governor, based on unofficial results.
- The party's own candidate for governor, Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, also conceded the race and personally congratulated Chadchart on securing a second term.
- The concession came after unofficial vote counts showed Chadchart with a decisive lead of over 1.3 million votes, while the People's Party candidate was in a distant third.
- Despite the loss, the party expressed hope that its elected councillors could still push forward policies to improve the quality of life for Bangkok residents.
People’s Party executives held a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Bangkok at 7.35pm on Sunday (June 28), after unofficial results from the Bangkok and Pattaya elections began to take shape.
The briefing was led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, People’s Party leader, together with Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, the party’s candidate for Bangkok governor, and Phicharn Chaowapatanawong, the party’s secretary-general.
Natthaphong explained that, after monitoring the results in both Bangkok and Pattaya, the figures remained unofficial but the latest trend in the Bangkok race made it almost certain that Chadchart Sittipunt would return as Bangkok governor for a second term.
He thanked voters who turned out in both elections and also congratulated Chadchart on the outcome.
In Pattaya, Natthaphong noted that the latest figures suggested the People’s Party candidate for Pattaya mayor may fall short in this election. The party would continue following the results for Pattaya City Council seats, he added.
Chaiwat thanked Bangkok residents for exercising their voting rights, as well as those who cast their ballots for him and for the party’s Bangkok Metropolitan Council candidates.
He also congratulated Chadchart on securing a second term as Bangkok governor. Chaiwat expressed hope that People’s Party councillors entering the Bangkok Metropolitan Council would be able to push forward at least some of the party’s policies aimed at improving the quality of life of Bangkok residents.
Chaiwat added that he remained committed to working on Bangkok’s development, in line with the policies presented during the campaign, regardless of his role or position. He pledged to continue working with determination to demonstrate his commitment to the public.
Phicharn, addressing the party’s defeats in Bangkok and Pattaya, acknowledged that as secretary-general he would have to work harder to show people how giving the party the opportunity to administer Bangkok could bring about change.
He observed that voters appeared to approach major political contests and local elections differently, but stressed that this was not an excuse for the election result.
As a political party, Phicharn added, the People’s Party would need to communicate more intensively on its policies and the agenda it sought to advance.
The concession followed Chadchart’s strong lead from the start of the vote count. As of 9pm, Chadchart had 1,359,428 votes, followed by independent candidate Mallika Boonmeetrakool Mahasook with 272,287 votes and Chaiwat with 166,793 votes.
In the Pattaya mayoral election, an unofficial tally as of 7.15pm showed Poramet Ngampichet, running under the We Love Pattaya group, leading with 412 votes. Ittiwat Watanasathorn of the People’s Party followed with 254 votes, while Sakchai Taengho, running under the Pattaya 2030 banner, had 22 votes.
