Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej or "Big Yom" from the Economic Party registered to run for the 2026 Bangkok governor election, revealing a platform focused on serving Bangkok residents with a priority on crime suppression.
On 28 May 2026, reporters covered the atmosphere ahead of the first day of candidate registration for the Bangkok governor and Bangkok Metropolitan Council members elections. The Election Commission (EC) set this day to begin registration, which will continue until 1 June 2026, at the Arawat Phatthana Building, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) City Hall 2 (Din Daeng), Mit Maitri Road, Din Daeng Subdistrict, Din Daeng District, Bangkok.
At 06:50 a.m., it was observed that Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej, known as "Big Yom" the prospective candidate for Bangkok governor from the Economic Party, and Chris Potranan, list MP and chairman of the Economic Party,
Chris Potranan explained the reason for nominating Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej for the Bangkok governor race, saying the Economic Party has proposed many policies in parliament. With three MPs, the party finds it necessary to field a governor candidate to promote key issues. Currently, many people are discussing their quality of life. Thai citizens feel like second-class residents; Bangkokians feel unsafe walking the streets. The new Economic Party wants to address Bangkok's issues.
For example, we have proposed amending the constitution so that only Thai children receive free education, excluding foreign children. Currently, nearly 30% of students in Bangkok are foreign. This means Bangkok's budget is partly spent on these children who never pay tuition. We need to discuss how these funds can return to benefit Thai residents in Bangkok.
Regarding the BTS Skytrain, fares are very high, but most users are not Bangkok residents. The reason for nominating Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej is that no one else can communicate effectively with the police. Importantly, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep is a former top police officer familiar with every corner of Bangkok. He is also skilled in suppression work, which is crucial as Bangkok currently faces high crime rates.
, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej, the prospective Bangkok governor candidate from the Economic Party, said their policies include first, preventing and suppressing crime to protect life and property; second, traffic management; third, waste management; fourth, public health; and fifth, combating corruption in Bangkok.
The first action will be to meet with the National Police Chief and the Metropolitan Police Commander to plan crime prevention and suppression. Since police resources are limited, municipal officers will be mobilized to assist police by monitoring traffic and other duties. Regarding livelihoods, the plan includes regulating sidewalk vendors and establishing foot streets, which remain important issues.
When asked which candidate number he wanted, Pol. Lt. Gen. Chanthep Sesavej replied, "I want the winning number."