Editing Bangkok (section)

==<span id="Administration"></span>Government==
{{main|Bangkok Metropolitan Administration}}
[[File:Full name of Bangkok.JPG|alt=A granite sign with a long name in Thai script, and a building in the background|thumb|The city's [[#Name|ceremonial name]] is displayed in front of Bangkok City Hall.]]
The city of Bangkok is locally governed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Although its boundaries are at the provincial (''[[changwat]]'') level, unlike the other 76 provinces, Bangkok is a special administrative area whose governor is directly elected to serve a four-year term. The governor, together with four appointed deputies, forms the executive body, who implement policies through the BMA civil service headed by the Permanent Secretary for the BMA. In separate elections, each district elects one or more city councillors, who form the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. The council is the BMA's legislative body and has power over municipal ordinances and the city's budget.<ref>Thavisin et al. (eds) 2006, p.&nbsp;86.</ref> The [[2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election|latest gubernatorial election]] took place on 22 May 2022 after an extended lapse following the [[2014 Thai coup d'état]], and was won by [[Chadchart Sittipunt]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangkok votes in new governor for first time in nine years |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangkok-votes-new-governor-first-time-nine-years-2022-05-22/ |access-date=23 May 2022 |work=Reuters |date=22 May 2022 |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522185359/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangkok-votes-new-governor-first-time-nine-years-2022-05-22/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bangkok is divided into [[Districts of Bangkok|fifty districts]] (''khet'', equivalent to ''[[amphoe]]'' in the other provinces), which are further subdivided into [[Khwaeng|180 sub-districts]] (''khwaeng'', equivalent to ''[[tambon]]''). Each district is managed by a district director appointed by the governor. District councils, elected to four-year terms, serve as advisory bodies to their respective district directors.

The BMA is divided into sixteen departments, each overseeing different aspects of the administration's responsibilities. Most of these responsibilities concern the city's infrastructure, and include city planning, building control, transportation, drainage, waste management, and city beautification, as well as education, medical, and rescue services.<ref>Thavisin et al. (eds) 2006, pp.&nbsp;80–82.</ref> Many of these services are provided jointly with other agencies. The BMA has the authority to implement local ordinances, although civil law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the [[Metropolitan Police Bureau (Thailand)|Metropolitan Police Bureau]].

As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok is the seat of all branches of the [[Government of Thailand|national government]]. The [[Government House (Thailand)|Government House]], [[Parliament House (Thailand)|Parliament House]] and [[Supreme Court of Thailand|Supreme]], [[Administrative Court of Thailand|Administrative]] and [[Constitutional Court of Thailand|Constitutional]] Courts are all in the city. Bangkok is the site of the [[Grand Palace]] and [[Dusit Palace]], respectively the official and ''de facto'' residence of the king. Most government ministries also have headquarters and offices in the capital.

=== Symbols ===
The city seal shows [[Hindu]] god [[Indra]] riding in the clouds on [[Airavata]], a divine [[white elephant]] known in Thai as Erawan. In his hand Indra holds his weapon, the ''[[vajra]]''.<ref>Thavisin et al. (eds) 2006, p.&nbsp;78.</ref> The seal is based on a painting done by [[Prince Naris]], a brother of King Chulalongkorn.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waites |first=Dan |title=CultureShock! Bangkok: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette |date=2014 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-981-4516-93-8 |location=Singapore |page=51 |oclc=881383223}}</ref> The tree symbol of Bangkok is ''[[Ficus benjamina]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnp.go.th/EPAC/province_plant/bangkok.htm|script-title=th:ไทรย้อยใบแหลม|trans-title=Golden fig|language=th|last=Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation|website=DNP website|access-date=25 September 2012}}</ref> [[Giant barb]] (''[[Catlocarpio siamensis]]'') has been chosen as the aquatic animal of Bangkok.<ref>{{cite web|language=thai|date=2024-11-05|accessdate=2015-07-03|work=[[PPTV (Thai TV channel)|PPTV HD]]|url=https://www.pptvhd36.com/news/%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99/13982|title=ประมงเลือก "ปลากระโห้" เป็นสัตว์น้ำประจำกรุงเทพฯ|trans-title=Fisheries choose "Giant barb" as the aquatic animal of Bangkok}}</ref> The official city slogan, adopted in 2012, reads:

{{blockquote|As built by deities, the administrative centre, dazzling palaces and temples, the capital of Thailand <br/>กรุงเทพฯ ดุจเทพสร้าง เมืองศูนย์กลางการปกครอง วัดวังงามเรืองรอง เมืองหลวงของประเทศไทย<ref>{{cite journal|title=Bangkok Finally Gets Its Own Provincial Slogan |journal=Bangkok Inter News |volume=5 |issue=2 |date=April–June 2012 |page=10 |url=http://iad.bangkok.go.th/sites/default/files/internew/623-55%20new.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016093625/http://iad.bangkok.go.th/sites/default/files/internew/623-55%20new.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2015 }}</ref>}}