Bangkok gubernatorial election, 2008

The eighth gubernatorial election for the city of Bangkok, Thailand, was held on 5 October 2008. The election was won by the incumbent Governor Apirak Kosayothin, placing him in his second consecutive four-year term in office, winning 45.93 percent of the vote. Of a total of 4,087,329 eligible voters, 2,214,320 voted, giving a turnout rate of 54.18 percent, lower than the 70 percent target expected by the Election Committee.

Sixteen candidates contested the election. Mr Apirak, candidate for the opposition Democrat Party, was seen as the favourite. Other candidates included Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour businessman who also ran in the 2004 election, Prapas Chongsa-nguan, former governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand and candidate for the People's Power Party, Kittisak Thirawisit, an academic and professor in business administration, and Leena Jangjanja, a businesswoman and lawyer who ran in the previous election and the 2006 senate election.

The sixth elected governor of Bangkok, Mr Apirak is the second to be elected to a second term, after Chamlong Srimuang, governor from 1985–1992, who was incidentally arrested at a polling station early on the election day, on charges of insurrection due to his role as leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group which has staged protests and occupied Government House since August. [AFP 2008.]

Campaign

Mr Apirak's four-year term as governor ended on 28 August 2008. Applications for the post were accepted from 1 to 5 September, and the official list of candidates was announced on 11 September. Campaigning included public speeches by candidates, television interviews, campaign trucks announcing messages through loudspeakers, and most noticeably, a multitude of campaign posters erected on the pavements, some of which fell over and injured pedestrians and motorcyclists. [Head 2008.]

The more unusual campaigning stunts included Mrs Leena's bathing in a canal to reflect the local population's experiences, which ended tragically when her campaign manager drowned. [Sinlapalavan & Kongdejsakda 2008.] Nearer to the election day, Mr Chuwit caused headline news by punching and kicking a television journalist after an interview. [Wong-Anan 2008.]

Mr Chuwit also filed complaints against Mr Apirak, claiming that the appearance of Mr Apirak's name on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's election publicity posters violated electoral law. [Wancharoen & Glahan 2008.] The case was accepted by the Bangkok Election Committee, but a final ruling by the Election Commission would not be heard until after the election.

Polling and results

Polling was organised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration under the supervision of the Bangkok Election Commission, with a total budget of over 154 million baht. Voting took place from 08:00 to 15:00 on 5 October at 6,337 polling stations across the fifty districts of the city. [BMA 2008a]

Exit polls by Assumption and Suan Dusit Rajabhat Universities indicated that Mr Apirak had won 44 to 52 percent of the vote by the time the polling stations closed. [TNA 2008.] The unofficial results, to be submitted to the Election Commission for approval, were announced by the Bangkok City Clerk on midnight.

Summary of Bangkok gubernatorial election results, 2008 [BMA 2008b.]
-style="background:#E9E9E9;"! №! align="left"|Candidate! align="left"|Affiliation! Votes! %! Rank
-
1
align="left"|Kittisak Thirawisit
align="left"|Independent
2,102
0.10
9
-
2
align="left"|Kriangsak Charoenwongsak
align="left"|Independent
260,051
12.05
4
-
3
align="left"|Metta Temchamnarn
align="left"|Metta Tham Group
2,105
0.10
8
-
4
align="left"|Warawut Thanangkorn
align="left"|Independent
2,771
0.13
7
-
5
align="left"|Apirak Kosayodhin
align="left"|Democrat Party
991,018
45.93
1
-
6
align="left"|Sumet Tanthanasirikul
align="left"|Krung Thep Phatthana Team
1,078
0.05
11
-
7
align="left"|Leena Jungjanja
align="left"|Independent
6,267
0.29
5
-
8
align="left"|Chuwit Kamolvisit
align="left"|Independent
340,616
15.79
3
-
9
align="left"|Wittaya Jangkobpattana
align="left"|Independent
3,759
0.17
6
-
10
align="left"|Prapas Chongsa-nguan
align="left"|People's Power Party
543,488
25.19
2
-
11
align="left"|Popsak Panseethong
align="left"|Independent
811
0.04
13
-
12
align="left"|Toranee Rithee-thamdamrong
align="left"|Independent
852
0.04
12
-
13
align="left"|Udom Viboonteppachat
align="left"|Independent
617
0.03
14
-
14
align="left"|Vachiraporn Aayooyuen
align="left"|Public Party (Satharanachon)
1,140
0.05
10
-
15
align="left"|Somchai Paiboon
align="left"|Independent
503
0.02
15
-
16
align="left"|Nipon Simprayoon
align="left"|Independent
421
0.02
16
-style="background:#E9E9E9;"! align="left" colspan="3"|Total! 2,157,599! 100!
-
align="left" colspan="3"|"No vote" ballots
37,345
colspan="2"|
-
align="left" colspan="3"|Voided ballots
19,376
colspan="2"|
-style="background:#E9E9E9;"! align="left" colspan="3"|Total turnout! 2,214,320! colspan="2"|

Notes

References

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*citation|last=Bangkok Post|title=Sweeping victory for Apirak in city poll|date=6 October 2008|publisher=Bangkok Post|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/061008_News/06Oct2008_news03.php|accessdate=2008-10-06. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5bNBiRBDV).
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