Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang on Thursday announced his resignation and plan to run as an independent in the city gubernatorial election expected in May.
Pol Gen Aswin, who was appointed to the position by the coup government in 2016, said on Thursday he had submitted his resignation letter to Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda.
He planned to run for a "renewed term" to complete the work he had initiated over the past "five years, five months and five days" in the job.
Speaking at City Hall, he boasted that he had translated into action ambitious policies his predecessors failed to implement over the previous 10-20 years. He wanted to remain Bangkok governor to complete this development.
Pol Gen Aswin said he would contest the governorship as an independent candidate and had the support of the Raks Krungthep group. He promised to be open to ideas from young people and people with disabilities.
He would introduce his team of candidates for the Bangkok council on Monday.
“Over the past five years, all the issues were tough, but I managed to solve them. I give myself half the total score for my past performance and I will run for a renewed term to get the other half of the score,” Pol Gen Aswin said.
Pol Gen Aswin previously served as a deputy of former city governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra. MR Sukhumbhand was dismissed from the job by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who appointed Pol Gen Aswin to succeed him in October 2016.
