Mukdahan Mayoral Election Preview

Posters for the Mayoral Election October 28

For those in and around Mukdahan who have seen the big signs like above all around, we all know that it is election time again. Voting will take place on October 28th for the local Mayor and his City Hall (Tesaban) team. The current mayor, Samrit Jo Poksawat of Glum Pattana Mukdahan has reached retirement age and is getting ready to step down. The 4 major candidates to replace him will be quickly detailed below.

#1 Peenit Charoensuk - Khun Charoensuk has previously served as a provincial elected official with the title Nayoksupa Obachaw. He is a member of the Glum Pattana Mukdahan (the same as the incumbent). This group includes a former mayor (I know him as Pee Kio) and include many local business leaders. Khun Charoensuk, himself, is a business owner of a rock and sand building products business.

#2 Triyaret  Kultangwattana - Khun Kultangwattana is a prominent local businessman who owns a business ferrying trucks and merchandise across the Mekong River to Laos. The family also owns other transportation related businesses and are prominent in local affairs. I know him personally as Tooey. He has studied abroad at the University of Washington in the USA. Previously he has held the post of Deputy Mayor at the Mukdahan Tesaban. He lists no party affiliation.

#3 Suwanee Tangpanitanon - Khun Tangpanitanon is currently an elected member of the local political staff at the Mukdahan Tesaban. She is a member of the Glum Rao Rak Mukdahan team and is affiliated with the Puea Thai Party (PTP). He husband is the current newly elected MP for the province of Mukdahan (PTP).

#4 Chalad Tusiri - Khun Tunsiri is an ex-vice mayor of Mukdahan. He lists no party affiliation though, I am sure that he does have a team around him to support his candidacy. I know the least about this candidate and will update this post as I find more information. As an aside his first name means "clever".

I talked to my political analyst (the boss) about who she thinks has the best chance to win. She thinks it comes down to a horserace between #1 and #3. But who knows? What you DO KNOW is who to blame when the truck with the speaker rolls by your house at 7 am imploring you to vote for their numbered candidate (at volume 10 always.) and what day you have to stock up on alcohol for. - Khun Rut