The People's Party announced the unification of 37 incoming Bangkok Council members to support "Nurse Phattharaporn" for the Bangkok Council Speaker seat, pledging to jointly promote transparent council agendas and budgets with rigorous oversight, while emphasizing that every member retains independence without binding commitments.
3 July 2026 GMT+7 The People's Party, led by Mr. Chaiwat Sathaworawijit, former Bangkok gubernatorial candidate; Mr. Suphanat Meenachainan, Member of Parliament for Bangkok; and Ms. Phattharaporn Kengrungreungchai, incoming Bangkok Council member for Bang Sue district, together with incoming councilors from the People's Party, the Worker Group, and leaders Mr. Phonphum Wipativimolprateep, Mr. Duangrit Benjathikul Kengrungreung, and Mr. Surachit Pongsingwittaya, held a meeting and press conference to announce cooperation to elevate Bangkok Council work, resolving to support Ms. Phattharaporn as Bangkok Council Speaker.
In the meeting of the three groups of incoming councilors, they agreed to collaborate: People's Party councilors, Independent group councilors, and Worker group councilors will work together to promote transparency and a transparent budgeting process by drafting amendments to Bangkok Council regulations, mandating live broadcasts of all ordinary and special committee meetings, disclosure of voting records, and attendance of council members.
Additionally, they will draft a Bangkok ordinance to ensure budget transparency by revealing detailed project budgets, procurement information in computer-readable and automatically processable formats, covering all steps from budget proposal drafting to contract management post-procurement, allowing public participation in oversight to prevent corruption in Bangkok’s procurement processes. They will extend the review period so councilors have at least 30 days to examine budgets before the first agenda, and special budget committees must have no less than 3 days to consider budget proposals. They aim to complete these regulations and ordinances by December 2026.
. After the Election Commission certifies the 37 councilors (from the People's Party, Worker Group, and Independents), they will jointly approve Ms. Phattharaporn as the 26th Bangkok Council Speaker, Mr. Netipoom Mingrujiralai as the first Deputy Speaker, and Ms. Narisorn Saengkaew as the second Deputy Speaker. They will divide responsibilities to oversee, monitor, and manage Bangkok administration under the executive branch. All 37 councilors will approve amending council regulations to establish a committee for climate change response and sustainable disaster preparedness, enabling timely responses and enhancing safety for Bangkok residents. The 37 councilors commit to fully dedicating their work to Bangkok residents and to elevating the Bangkok Council as a reliable institution for the public.
Mr. Suphanat said the joint press conference today expresses the intent of all 37 incoming councilors to promote transparency in the council’s agendas and budget review processes. They support Ms. Phattharaporn as the 26th Council Speaker, with Mr. Netipoom and Ms. Narisorn as Deputy Speakers. He emphasized that debate within the council is normal in a democracy and does not affect their cooperation, as all members remain free to express and exchange opinions. The 37 councilors’ joint declaration is to push for greater transparency in the council and budget processes.
When asked whether other work beyond the jointly announced agenda must follow collective decisions, Mr. Suphanat explained that politically it is normal to bring different sides together to push specific issues, but each councilor and group holds different stances on other matters, leading to agreements and disagreements on a case-by-case basis. He stressed that this coalition is not a government or opposition bloc requiring total agreement, but rather a shared commitment to advancing the announced transparency agenda.
Regarding collaboration with Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, the current incoming Bangkok Governor, Mr. Suphanat said he cannot speak for all 37 councilors, but the People's Party is ready to work with all elected officials. This transparency agenda aligns with Mr. Chadchart’s policies to make budgets transparent and combat corruption. The 37 councilors’ stance today is consistent with his initiatives, and as previously stated by Mr. Chaiwat, they are open to support from other council groups.
On the issue of the “Argong system,” which has been mentioned since the Bangkok Council election campaign, Mr. Suphanat said it is every councilor’s duty to scrutinize the executive branch. Since the Bangkok Council lacks a government-opposition structure, it functions as a check and balance between the executive and legislature. He believes all councilors will actively address any concerns about the Argong system, as they are elected representatives ready to protect public tax money.
Meanwhile, Mr. Duangrit added that the Worker Group supports all initiatives that meet Bangkok residents’ needs, while also committing to constructive oversight focused on public interest, as their sole boss is the people of Bangkok. Dr. Surachit Pongsingwittaya, or Dr. John, further affirmed that whether concerning Argong, Ama, or Apa systems, any suspected lack of transparency will be rigorously investigated in their legislative role. He confirmed on behalf of the group that they will not allow any lack of transparency in Bangkok.