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the political groups in the Chiang Mai PAO election implies: “Chiang Mai Khunnatham Group”,
“Pracharat Chiang Mai Group”, and “Chiang Mai Kao Mai Group”. They presented their groups as

having links to the political parties, both symbolically and explicitly during the electoral campaign,
even though such parties did not officially announce their support or nominate the candidates
as political party representative. This phenomenon reflects the voting behaviors of the people in
Chiang Mai which emphasized the increasing role of political parties and their policies in shaping

their voting decisions.

However, one of the remarkable differences between the 2019 general election and this
2020 local election is the fact that the platforms of the candidates from political parties and
independent groups concerned local issues, for example, the PM 2.5 haze, public utilities, and
tourism promotion for economic growth in Chiang Mai. There were more attempts of local

politicians to build political support networks with private businesses and civil society
organizations in Chiang Mai. Moreover, During the electoral campaign, they focused on making
campaign speeches and community outreach via joining community religious or cultural events.

The use of campaign trucks, campaign banners, and campaign brochure dissemination in fresh
markets were still the electoral campaign methods which are more relevant to the local identity
in Chiang Mai than using online or social media as electoral campaign tool like during the 2019
general election.

The context of the competition during the Chiang Mai PAO election was that of the

political competition between a political party and an independent political group, that is,
between the Pheu Thai Party and the Chiang Mai Khunnatham Group—both of which have had
a close relationship with the dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party, the defunct People’s Power Party, and
their third incarnation Pheu Thai Party. Therefore, during this PAO election, there appeared an
interesting political phenomenon of “trying to prove who’s more Red”. The presence of the core

leaders of the Pheu Thai Party and the Red Shirts during the campaign speeches of both the Pheu
Thai and the Chiang Mai Khunnatham candidates caused hesitation and confusion among the
qualified voters and underscored the conflicts among the political supporters and networks of

election canvassers, as well as their struggles for political resources in Chiang Mai. Meanwhile, the
struggles and competition in the Chiang Mai PAO electoral arena highlighted the importance of
political families in local election: the Shinawatra family (Pheu Thai) and the Buranupakorn family
which has long played a crucial role in Chiang Mai, both politically and economically. The Chiang

Mai PAO election was thus significant for the Pheu Thai Party not just to win the ballot but to
prove the status of the Pheu Thai Party in Chiang Mai, which could be seen from the fact that the
former prime ministers—both Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra—sent supportive
messages and video clips to help the electoral campaign of the Chiang Mai PAO Chief Executive

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