More than 700 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials and staff gathered on Tuesday to pledge their commitment to a transparent, fair and politically neutral governor election amid concerns by incumbent governor Chadchart Sittipunt about voter turnout on June 28.
Narong Ruangsri, deputy city clerk, said the election was an important democratic process and stressed that all officials must strictly comply with election laws and Election Commission regulations.
At the same time, he said, they must uphold the principles of transparency, fairness and political neutrality to ensure the results accurately reflect the will of voters.
Mr Narong, in his capacity as local election director for Bangkok, chaired Tuesday’s event, joined by city executives, district directors, inspectors and representatives from the Election Commission (EC).
Following the gathering, BMA officials and EC representatives launched the “Bangkok Vote” campaign caravan to encourage more than 4.5 million eligible voters to cast their ballots on June 28 between 8am and 5pm. Campaign vehicles will travel across all 50 districts to raise awareness of the election.
The BMA said preparations have been completed citywide, including polling stations, election materials, ballot transport, traffic management and security. Training for election personnel is expected to be completed in all district offices by June 21.
The BMA has also conducted a public information campaign through billboards, social media, campaign vehicles and accessible materials, including sign language content for people with hearing impairments.
Meanwhile, Mr Chadchart, running as candidate No 9, expressed concern about voter turnout, noting that this year’s election will not offer advance or out-of-constituency voting.
Mr Chadchart resigned almost a week before his term ended on May 21 as he prepared to seek a second term. He urged the BMA and the EC to intensify public awareness efforts and ensure smooth traffic management on election day.
Despite leading opinion polls by a wide margin, Mr Chadchart said his team would remain focused on campaigning and policy proposals, showing respect for the people.
He said his policy platform had grown from 250 to 261 proposals after incorporating residents’ ideas during campaign visits, adding that voters — not opinion polls — would decide the outcome.
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