The 2025 Chiang Mai Mayoral Election
Case Studies on Candidates, Campaigning, and Changes in Thailand’s Local Elections and Decentralisation
One key aspect of political decentralisation in Thailand is through local elections. Municipal elections, particularly at the level of city municipalities, are significant and highly competitive. Chiang Mai Municipality holds historical significance as it was the first city municipality in Thailand, established in 1935. Regarding budget, the projected revenue for Chiang Mai Municipality from fiscal years 2023 to 2025 is 1.6 billion, 1.8 billion, and 1.9 billion Baht, respectively. When compared to the provincial budget, in fiscal year 2023, Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organisation had a total revenue of 394 million baht, which is approximately four times less than that of Chiang Mai Municipality (Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organisation, 2022). Given this budgetary significance of Chiang Mai Municipality and the involvement of national politics in local elections, this research implemented by research team at the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration of Chiang Mai University with the support of KAS seeks to examine candidate selection processes, election campaigns, political family influence in Chiang Mai, and voter decision-making factors in the 2025 Chiang Mai mayoral election. This study aims to contribute to the broader understanding of decentralisation in Thailand with Chiang Mai as a case study.
