List of provincial governors in Thailand

This is a list of current governors of provinces in Thailand, along with one special administrative area (Bangkok). In all 76 provinces, the governor is appointed by the Ministry of Interior.[1] This is due to the centralised nature of Thailand's government which began during the reign of King Chulalongkorn from 1892 onwards. Chulalongkorn's centralisation also saw the replacement of local rulers, such as in Lan Na, with rulers appointed by the government. Appointed governors have sometimes been outsiders to their governing province.[2]

This is except Bangkok who, as the only special administrative area, has elected its governors since 1975. However, from 1977 to 1985, and 2014 to 2022, elections were suspended due to military junta rule and the governor was appointed by the Ministry of Interior.[3] The only other local area which elects its leader is Pattaya as it's a special governed city.[4] Pattaya is part of Chonburi province.

  1. ^ "Bangkok's New Governor is Sending Shockwaves Through Thailand's Political Landscape". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  2. ^ กองบรรณาธิการ (2018-04-30). "Why can't Thailand's provinces elect their own governors?". The Isaan Record. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  3. ^ "5 decades of governor elections that have shaped modern Bangkok". www.thaipbsworld.com. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  4. ^ "Local Personnel Administration, chapter 1/PAO, 2/Municipalities, 3/TAO, 5/City of Pattaya" (PDF). Department of Local Administration. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.