Bangkok went to the polls in its first governor election in almost a decade, with the ballot viewed as an indicator for a national vote expected within a year. Around four million people are eligible to vote in the first major poll since Thailand's huge youth-led street protests in 2020 demanding political change and reform to the once-untouchable monarchy.
But daily life rather than politics has dominated the candidates' campaigns, with the leading contenders promising to clear up the congested, polluted and noisy megapolis home to 10 million. Polling centres opened across Bangkok at 8 am and closed at 5 pm with temperature checks and Covid-19 restrictions at each voting station. "I am not excited about the election. It will hardly change Bangkok, but I vote for a person who I think can change Bangkok, though a little bit. I do hope this candidate will make some change," said 28-year-old Nat, who gave only his nickname, after he voted. - AFP
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