The Democrat Party has officially declared former university rector, Suchatvee Suwansawat, as its candidate for the next Bangkok governor election.
The party said its executive board decided at a meeting on Monday to select Mr Suchatvee, former rector of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), as its candidate in the next Bangkok gubernatorial race.
He was the latest high-profile figure to be confirmed as a candidate for the poll, which is expected to take place sometime in the middle of next year, according to a tentative timeline floated by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The prime minister denied he was trying to delay the Bangkok governor poll in order to organise it at the most-politically advantageous time for the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP).
To date, only two other people have made their intentions to contest the poll known, namely former transport minister Chadchart Sittipunt and former senator Rosana Tositrakul.
On Monday, Democrat Party leader Jurin Laksanawisit said he and the party are fully confident Mr Suchatvee will be able to change Bangkok for the better.
Mr Suchatvee was strongly tipped to run on the Democrat's ticket after he stepped down as KMITL rector last week.
Political sources agreed the Democrat will have a tough task regaining support in the capital, where it failed to win a single seat in the 2019 general election.
At the declaration of his candidacy at the Samyan Mitrtown shopping centre, Mr Suchatvee, who holds a doctorate in civil engineering from the US, pledged to tackle floods, traffic congestion, fine dust pollution and make Bangkok Metropolitan Administration-run education institutes more competitive by setting up demonstration schools.