Lessons Learned from Local Government in Thailand: The Case of the 2025 Chiang Mai Provincial Administration Organization Election Lessons Learned from Local Government in Thailand: The Case of the 2025 Chiang Mai Provincial Administration Organization Election

Abstract

          The article presents a study on “Lessons Learned from Local Governance in Thailand: A Case Study of the Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization Election 2025”.  Collects data from secondary sources, such as books, news websites, and online media. The election for the mayor of the Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization and its members was held on Saturday, February 1, 2025. The focus is on analyzing the lessons learned for the Pheu Thai Party and the People’s Party, both of which were popular at the time. The authors analyze the situation based on the real context of the events that occurred and proposes for studying election situation reveals that it reflects the principles of democratic political systems, as it provided an opportunity for citizens to choose their leaders, thereby allowing the exercise of their rights under the principle of decentralization of power. And three main findings were discovered after the election results were known: 1) The issue of campaign strategies, 2) Lessons learned by political parties and the public, and 3) The politics of powerful local families, among others.

          The study found that, it was found that the first issue, the campaign strategies of the two political parties, differed in terms of their familiarity with the public. As a new political party, this made their popularity ratings differ, yet both still enjoyed widespread support from the public. Issue is the lesson from the public, reflecting that elections in provinces should allow citizens to vote at any location, especially for those living away from their hometowns who cannot travel back. As for the political parties, the lesson from political parties reflects the competition in creating achievements that are recognized by the public, through the presentation of policies that cater to all segments of society, whether from established or newer political parties, in order to maintain popularity across all eras. The final issue that warrants attention is the role of local politics, which plays a significant influence in determining election results and the decision-making process in selecting leaders. Politics in the form of local political dynasties or bloodline politics plays a role in supporting political candidates' campaigns. Local politics directly impacts the lives of citizens and serves as an essential starting point for the expression of fundamental civil rights, enabling citizens to choose leaders capable of strengthening and developing local communities sustainably.