Bangkok Council Elects First Female Chair With 39 Votes
Bangkok's Metropolitan Council elected its first female chair, Pattaraphon Kaengrungreongshai from the Bangkok Party, with 39 votes on July 13, 2025. She pledged transparency initiatives including live-streamed sessions and public budget pa
At 10:00 AM on July 13, 2025, at the Bangkok Metropolitan Council meeting room in the Auravatpatana Building at City Hall 2 in Din Daeng, Methavee Tharendarmong, a Bangkok Metropolitan Council member from Pathumwan district, chaired the proceedings in an interim capacity as the most senior member present.
The council's first meeting included the election of the 26th chair and the first and second deputy chairs to oversee the legislative branch and monitor the administration's performance.
Viputh Srivaauirai, a council member from Bang Rak district representing the Working People group, nominated Pattaraphon Kaengrungreongshai, a Bangkok Party member from Bang Sue district, for the chair position. Meanwhile, Somchai Tomplubulkul, a Democrat Party member from Khlong San district, nominated Wirat Kongkhaketr, also a Democrat Party member from Bangkok Yai district, to contest the position, arguing that council members should hear the vision of both candidates.
Pattaraphon stood to present her vision, emphasizing that the Bangkok council must be transparent and accountable with four main initiatives: (1) opening live broadcasts by amending meeting rules to stream all ordinary and extraordinary sessions, with the ability to close the feed for security or sensitive third-party matters; (2) automatic disclosure of voting records, currently requiring the chair's approval; (3) publishing attendance statistics of all members for transparency and public accountability; and (4) supporting member work efficiency by establishing an academic office and budget under the council's authority to help analyze budgets and provide data for drafting various ordinances.
Pattaraphon further stated that to make Bangkok's diverse city accessible to everyone, the council should open space for public budget proposals and expand the popular budget-hacking event from a small group initiative into a full council program, allowing citizens to understand and jointly oversee budget allocation and suggest future directions.
Regarding transparency for council members, she noted it is their right but offered various channels and systems, with a timeline to push these reforms by December of this year within her two-year term.
Wirat presented his vision, saying that without preparation but relying on his experience and ideas, leading the Bangkok council is not difficult. New members must understand the meeting rules, as Bangkok operates with three gears: the administration, civil service, and council. If each rotates in balance, citizens will benefit fully. As one of fifty cogs, he aims to rotate smoothly with the administration and civil service gears.
