Thavida Kamolvej, former Deputy Governor of Bangkok, is closely following the vote count for the Bangkok governor election. She revealed that if Chadchart Sittipunt approaches her, she is willing to return as deputy governor again.
At 17:40 on 28 June 2026, in front of the Stadium One shopping center on Chulalongkorn Soi 6, Banthat Thong Road, Wang Mai Subdistrict, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Associate Professor Dr. Thavida Kamolvej, former Deputy Governor of Bangkok responsible for policy, responded to media questions after the ballot boxes closed and the vote counting for the Bangkok governor and Bangkok Metropolitan Council elections began.
When asked from the perspective of a political science professor about the absence of advance voting in the Bangkok governor election, Dr. Thavida said that since it is a local election, there was sufficient prior announcement. She understood it to be a regulation set by the Election Commission prohibiting advance voting because Bangkok is equivalent to a province. In local elections, people generally live nearby and are closely connected to their communities.
Asked whether, from a political science viewpoint, advance or out-of-district voting should be allowed, Dr. Thavida said it would be beneficial if permitted, as it would facilitate convenience by allowing voting on more than one day. She added that if the system could be improved to incorporate more varied technology, like in other countries, it would be good, though such decisions depend on the Election Commission.
When asked whether she had seen poll results indicating Chadchart Sittipunt leading, Dr. Thavida said she had not yet looked as she had just arrived and had seen only some reports. She noted that vote counting had only just started but expressed pleasure that people still support Chadchart and recognized that his work has had some achievements. However, she was concerned about the low voter turnout reported at 15:00 and hoped more people would exercise their voting rights.
When asked if there would be changes to the lineup of deputy governors, Dr. Thavida said she really did not know. She explained that in the previous election, she only realized Chadchart had approached her around 9 p.m. Therefore, this time they would likely wait for a similar moment because Chadchart is not someone who makes offers casually; he needs to be certain before approaching anyone.
Asked if she would be willing to return as deputy governor if Chadchart approached her this time, Dr. Thavida laughed and replied that since she is part of the policy team and understands what Chadchart wants to accomplish, if he is re-elected, she would probably not refuse.
Regarding her absence from the Amnesty event despite being invited, Dr. Thavida said she usually tries not to decline invitations. If schedules conflict with those of Professor Chadchart, unless it's Sanan or Wisanu, she would help cover and alternate attendance. However, she admitted it was her mistake because she had understood Sanan would attend, but it clashed with a scheduled community meeting at Songwat during campaigning. She also had a minor family emergency and informed them just three days in advance, for which she apologized sincerely for not being able to attend.
When asked if her absence indicated an intentional avoidance of human rights issues, Dr. Thavida said that before the campaign ended yesterday, she met with representatives to discuss about five policy points, which she understood they had also discussed with Chadchart. Her direct responsibility is public health and responding to diversity and vulnerable groups, which Bangkok is already addressing. She said she had provided detailed answers but acknowledged the timing might have been off, causing some to feel she was refusing, for which she sincerely apologized.
Asked whether she expects the workload to increase, Dr. Thavida said she would not celebrate until at least 60-70% of votes were counted. She was happy with the current scores but noted that after campaigning for 30 days, she gained 11 additional policies out of 250, which means the work will indeed get heavier. Chadchart intends for significant progress, so a lot more effort will be required.