Prayut won’t be named Palang Pracharath’s candidate for PM: Thaksin

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE RULING PALANG PRACHARATH Party would no longer name Prayut Chan-o-cha as candidate for head of government in the next general election even if the legally embattled premier might possibly be allowed by court to prolong his rule, forecast former premier Thaksin Shinawatra today (Aug. 30).

During Care Talk live podcast programme, Thaksin predicted that the largest coalition party headed by caretaker prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan would no longer name Prayut, who is currently stopped by court from performing his prime-ministerial duties, as head of a post-election government as they did in the 2019 election.

Palang Pracharath Party might probably name Prawit’s brother/former police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan as the party’s candidate for head of government next time, according to the former premier who has been living in self-exile in Dubai following the 2006 coup.

Patcharawat is largely known to have stood behind the scenes and have quietly performed on behalf of the caretaker premier since the last few years.

Thaksin implied that Prawit would likely prefer his younger brother rather than Prayut to run the country and carry out his party’s policies in line with electoral campaigns.

The Constitutional Court is expected next month to determine whether Prayut who orchestrated the 2014 coup as army chief to oust an elected government under Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, may already have consumed a maximum of eight years in power maximumly provided by law since last week.

Even if the suspended premier was eventually allowed by court to come back and prolong his rule, Prawit’s party would no longer name him as candidate for head of a post-election government, according to the former premier.

Meanwhile, Thaksin said, Prawit’s camp could earn more popularity than ever if the caretaker premier is successfully named head of government in case that Prayut’s eight-year rule is judged by court to have already ended.

Instead of dissolving the House of Representatives and calling a general election in near future, Prawit would prefer to see himself named as an outsider candidate for prime minister with overwhelming votes from coalition MPs and senators many of whom had been handpicked by himself, Thaksin commented.

Others earlier named by parties contesting the previous election as candidates for head of government might only have slim chances of being given enough votes from Palang Pracharath MPs and senators, thus necessitating the naming of an outsider such as the top leader of the largest coalition party instead.

CAPTION:

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Top photo: NDTV, Front Page photo: PA and published by BBC

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