Election Day in Bangkok
Today was election day in Bangkok. Although the result wasn't in much doubt, people still went to the polls in large numbers to choose the next governor of the city . Democrat Apirak Kosayodhin, the previous Bangkok governor, was expected to win easily and all three exit polls released so far indicate that is what happened. The big question hanging over the election now is whether Mr Apirak will be disqualified for by the Election Commission for what appears to be a minor infraction involving public relations posters. Disqualifications are quite common in Thai elections, so you can't really be sure what will happen.
About noon, my wife, son and I wandered over to our local polling station at the school next to Wat Pasi near Ekamai Road as it passes over the Saen Saeb Canal on the approach to Petchburi Road.
Voting was light at that time, but I imagine it
picked up a bit later before the polls closed. In the photo above, you
see a voter about to enter the balloting area. You can also just see
the ballot box at the top. On top of it is a clock and at exactly 3:00
p.m. the voting ends. As you enter the polling area, there is a large board with the photos and numbers of the candidates. Near the back of the area is a list of eligible voters and that is where people head to find out if their names are included. Since we only officially moved into the area several months ago after buying a condominium, my wife's name wasn't on the list. We found out later that you need to be a resident for one year to be eligible to vote.
Wat Pasi itself is an interesting place to visit.
It is located in the shadow of the huge Charn Isara Tower, a landmark
that can be seen for many kilometres. I'm sure the temple predated the
tower by many years and the immediate neighbourhood is still relatively
quiet, especially on a Sunday. The temple itself is quite unusual for Bangkok. From the outside it seems ordinary enough, but as you go inside it is quite unlike any temple I have seen here in Thailand,
looking much more Indian than Thai. Does anyone know anything about its history? There is a place for comments at the bottom and you are welcome to add your voice -- in English or Thai.
From the temple, it's only a short 10-15-minute walk home. This is typical of Bangkok where voting is extremely convenient. It will be interesting to see what the turnout was.
Now at 7:30 p.m, Mr Apirak has built a commanding
lead with 260,000 votes, double that of his nearest opponent, PPP
representative Prapas Chongsanguan. For me, I'm about 10 minutes away
from a meal of sticky rice, som
tam and fried pork.