The leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, General Prawit Wongsuwan, on Friday dismissed speculation that he was eyeing the prime minister’s seat.
He also rejected as groundless media reports of a plot to bring down Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the next censure debate, which is expected after the House of Representatives reconvenes later this month.
“Nobody is trying to overthrow him. The prime minister will remain in his position until the end,” said Prayut, who is also the first deputy prime minister.
He described as “media speculation” reports of the possibility of him becoming a “substitute prime minister” in case of any “political accident”.
The reports came after Prawit’s former subordinates from Palang Pracharath who are now in the Thai Economic Party, including prominent power broker Thammanat Prompow, voiced their support for Prawit as the next prime minister.
PM Prayut is facing uncertainty to hold on to his seat, due to the thin margin between coalition and opposition MP numbers ahead of the no-confidence debate. Also, the opposition is expected to seek a Constitutional Court verdict whether his time in office should end in August, when Prayut would have served for eight years — the limit set by the charter.
Prawit and Prayut, who are described as brothers in arms, have known each other since their days in the Royal Thai Army. However, their ties began to sour during last year’s censure debate following a reported plot to oust the PM.
Prayut removed Thammanat, known as Prawit’s right hand man, from his Cabinet amidst reports that he had plotted to get the PM removed.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has issued guidelines and special prevention measures for Covid-19 patients during the Bangkok election on May 22 from 8am to 5pm.
BMA deputy permanent secretary Chawin Sirinak said recently that voting will be held in a well-ventilated open space. The BMA will arrange adequate thermometers and alcohol gel dispensers.
Meanwhile, the BMA will also prepare special stations for people with temperature exceeding 37.5 degrees Celsius, people who are likely to suffer from cold, coughing, and sneezing, and Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.
They will be separated into a special zone while staff will have to wear gloves, face masks, and face shields while working.
The BMA also revealed the guidelines for staff and both infected and uninfected voters.
Guidelines for voters
Prepare necessary equipment such as alcohol gel and pen
Always wear masks outside the house, including in polling stations
Check your temperature and clean your hands with alcohol gel before entering polling stations. People who have temperature exceeding the normal will have to go to the special station.
Keep at least a metre distance from others
Cast a ballot under staff supervision
Wash your hands before leaving the polling station
Guidelines for staff
Avoid entering an overcrowded area or large gatherings five days before the voting
Staff should avoid working and get an antigen test if they are high-risk contact person who got close to patients, or have symptoms
Always wear masks in polling stations
Avoid touching face, eyes, nose, mouth, and face masks
Always wash the hands with soap or alcohol gel, especially before eating, after entering the bathroom, or when touching someone or a surface.
When counting ballots, they should be separated by at least one or two metres from citizens while citizens should avoid shouting
Clean yourself immediately after finishing the duty and after arriving home
Monitor symptoms for seven days, and get an antigen test if you experience symptoms
Guidelines for Covid-19 patients
Prepare necessary equipment such as alcohol gel and pen
Always wear masks outside the house or quarantine places including in polling stations
Avoid public transportation; infected voters should use a personal vehicle or a vehicle arranged by a local organisation
Keep at least a metre’s distance from the others
Strictly follow guidelines when leaving the house or quarantine places to polling stations and only enter the special stations meant for patients
Cast your ballot under staff supervision
Return home or to quarantine places immediately after voting
A special parliament committee vetting two amendment bills on Thursday agreed on a five-step procedure for the holding of primary elections by political parties to select their election constituency candidates.
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the spokesman of the ad hoc panel, said the committee had deliberated on the bill to amend the organic law on the political parties on Thursday.
Somchai said the procedure was designed with the goal of allowing the parties to have qualified persons as their candidates by allowing ordinary party members to take part in the selection.
The ad hoc panel agreed on the following five steps for holding primary elections of constituency candidates:
— The selection committee of a political party will announce the date and time and place for receiving applications from those seeking to be its constituency candidates.
— After the registration period ends, the selection committee will check the qualifications of the candidates.
— The list of candidates must be sent to provincial branches of the political party or provincial representatives of the party for consideration. The branches or provincial representatives must hold a meeting of party members in the province to endorse the list of candidates.
— The provincial branches must send back the endorsed list to the party’s executive board.
— The party’s executive board must convene a meeting to approve the list of its constituency candidates.
Somchai said the five new steps are designed to make it easier for political parties to hold primary elections because they can hold primary elections through provincial representatives instead of having to hold large-scale primary elections.
Somchai said the ad hoc panel is still considering steps for political parties to select its party-list candidates.
Apart from the bill to amend the organic law on political parties, the ad hoc panel is also vetting a bill to amend the organic law on election of MPs.
The bills have to be enacted by joint sittings of the House and Senate to implement the dual-ballot electoral system in line with earlier charter amendments.
The amendments to the two organic laws must be enacted before the next general election can be held after the current House completes its term in late March next year.
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew on Thursday expressed confidence that the party would win a landslide victory in the next election as nine former MPs and ex-ministers joined the party.
Cholnan, Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chanruangthong and party spokeswoman Teerarat Samretwanich held a press conference at the party’s headquarters to announce its candidates for Nakhon Ratchasima and Buri Ram. The candidates comprise seven former MPs and two businesspeople.
A general election will be held next year after the current House of Representatives completes its four-year tenure late in March.
A special parliamentary committee is currently vetting two bills that will amend the organic laws on MP elections and political parties to allow the next election to be held under a dual ballot system.
Cholnan named four candidates for Nakhon Ratchasima – Boonchong Wongtrairat, former Korat MP and former deputy interior minister, Supongpit Rungpao, Korat ex-MP, Watanachai Suebsiribul, a leading businessman in the northeastern province, and Natjira Imwiset, a young businesswoman from Korat.
For Buri Ram, Cholnan said, the party would field Surasak Nakhadi, Chamras Wiangson, Somnuek Hengwanitthirathana, Leng Phayungsaenkul and Sanoh Promsawat as its candidates. The five are all former Buri Ram MPs.
Cholnan said the party has assigned the nine to visit constituents in the two provinces to hear their problems and coordinate with the party on how to tackle their grievances.
The names of the nine will later be submitted for other Pheu Thai members to endorse in the so-called primary election process as required by the political party law. After this process, they would be formally endorsed as Pheu Thai candidates, Cholnan said.
“These candidates have the potential to help Pheu Thai solve the people’s problems and lead the country out of crisis, helping us reach our goal of a landslide victory,” Cholnan added.
Fair Party, a relatively new political outfit, will hold a walk rally on Sunday, May 8, at Lumpini Park in central Bangkok, calling for transparency and fairness in the upcoming Bangkok governor election.
“Dearn, Lao, Kao, Sib”, or “walking and learning about democracy”, will begin at 7am and is free for public participation, as part of the party’s mission to establish itself and make a difference in the country’s political discourse.
Since its inception four years ago, Fair Party has been committed to the principles of a fair democracy, pursuing equal possibilities in politics, economics, society, education, and quality of life, with the hope that those who care about justice will support them.
The party expects the walk rally to provide an opportunity to explain its position and political beliefs to a broader audience.
“The majority of political parties organise events for their registered members. We, in comparison, are completely accessible to the public. You are welcome to join our party without making any commitments,” said party leader Pitipong Temcharoen, 53, in an interview with The Nation.
Fair Party
The walk rally is expected to attract 500 participants. Ten stations along the way will provide the participants with thought-provoking facts and knowledge. The topics covered include corruption in the Thai government, Thailand’s education system, air pollution, economic development, promotion of tourism, green space in Bangkok, and LGBT marriage rights.
Apart from organising the rally and putting up exhibition boards highlighting society’s issues, the party intends to bring Bangkok governor candidates to the event to meet rally participants. The title of the walk rally is partly derived from a critique of Thailand’s growth and democracy, which will celebrate its centennial in the next decade. In 1932, during the reign of King Rama VII, the Kingdom transitioned from a monarchy to a democracy.
Fair Party
“Over the last 90 years, we have seen ‘democratic’ administrations go through ups and downs. However, the focus has never been on popular power. If Thailand is not ruled by a military dictatorship, it is ruled by capitalist forces. We are trying to highlight that the people are the bosses of politicians, not the other way around,” Pitipong stated.
The party has not fielded a candidate for Bangkok governor, but it has declared that it will run in next year’s general election.
Chotipoom Luangpraset, a young officer with the Royal Patronage Mae Fah Luang Foundation, expressed interest in joining the walk rally to hear the candidates’ views directly from them. He also wishes to conduct his own interviews with the governor contenders.
Fair Party
He said that he would love to see the successful candidate respect the people’s voice by allowing Bangkok to serve as a forum for independent views and that the new administration should establish a “civil society”.
“Bangkok should have professional organisations as an element of its civil society, such as groups of bus drivers, taxi drivers, and others. They must be robust and act as a check on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s operations,” Chotipoom explained.
The 11th election for the governor of Bangkok will be held on May 22. It will take place nine years after the last election in 2013. The delay was due to the 2014 coup d’état.
“Dearn, Lao, Kao, Sib” is currently accepting registrations by QR Code scanning. The first 500 persons to register will receive complimentary items, including a mask, a T-shirt, and a medal. Alternatively, go to https://fairpartyofficial.com/.
Some 44,200 people would be ineligible to vote in the election for Bangkok councillors as they have moved residence unless they contact city officials urgently, the Bangkok city clerk said on Wednesday.
City clerk Khajit Chatwanich said the household registration office of the Interior Ministry’s Provincial Administration Department has compiled a list of eligible voters for the Bangkok governor and council elections and found that 44,200 voters could only cast their votes in the election for governor.
Khajit explained that the 44,200 voters had registered the change in their living address in their current district less than a year ago, so they will be ineligible to vote for the councillor of their current district of residence.
But these 44,200 voters can still vote for the councillor of their previous district by contacting the registrar of their previous district before May 11, the city clerk added.
He said eligible voters for the Bangkok governor and council elections must have the following qualifications:
— Have Thai nationality or be a naturalised Thai for at least five years
— Be 18 years old, or born before May 24 2004
— Have household registration for at least a year in the district where they will cast their vote.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha denied the rumour that MPs would be paid a good deal of money to vote against him in a no-confidence motion.
Areporter asked Prayut at Government House on Tuesday about the rumour that each MP who votes against him would get THB5 million to THB30 million.
Prayut just shook his head and told the reporter: “Find the evidence. Anyone can say anything.”
He was also asked if there was any possibility that an MP could be “bought” for that amount of money. The PM replied that he had no clue whatsoever because he had never done anything like that.
When Prayut was asked if it was just “price manipulation” and not that MPs would actually vote against him, he did not answer but instead bowed in a wai to the garden shrine as he walked passed.
The reporter also asked why would someone spread such a rumour and how the premier “reads the situation”. Prayut told the reporter to go “ask them”.
And when he was asked who he thought had spread the rumour, Prayut countered with a question: “Where did the news come from?”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he was having talks with Prayut every day.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin also denied the rumour and said the “price was too high” when compared to what was left of the government’s present term in power.
Former deputy prime minister Trairong Suwannakhiri had allegedly posted on his Facebook page on Monday that some MPs were offered THB5 million to 30 million to vote against the government in the next two or three months, including at a no-confidence debate or a vote on the 2023 budget bill.
The prime minister has instructed the Finance Ministry to look into alleged irregularities in the bidding process of a 25-billion-baht water management project and suspended the project indefinitely.
The project was to be finalised by the Treasury Department on Tuesday, but has been delayed pending investigation by the Finance Ministry, Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.
The bid for the water management project in the East of Thailand was won by Wong Siam Construction Co Ltd.
However, Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP Pichet Sathirachawal recently alleged that the bidding was not transparent. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha subsequently instructed the Finance Ministry to set up a panel to look into the bidding process closely.
When asked if the government fears this project might be cited by the opposition in the upcoming censure debate, Thanakorn said the authorities are trying to find out the facts and the investigation will be conducted fairly.
Pichet, leader of the ruling party’s so-called “Group of 16”, alleged on April 30 that the terms of reference for the bidding were suspiciously amended to allow Wong Siam Construction to participate.
The MP said that though Wong Siam Construction offered very high returns for the water management project, the company may not have the ability or the knowledge to replace the current concessionaire, Eastwater Group, to distribute and manage water in the East.
Pichet said the panel would also take into account stability in water management and distribution instead of just being motivated by a higher concession fee.
He pointed out that Eastwater was a subsidiary of the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA).
However, Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat, who is overseeing the project and its bidding process, insisted on Tuesday that the bidding was done transparently.
He also argued that Eastwater was not PWA’s subsidiary, and that PWA only holds a 40 per cent stake in the firm.
Santi said Eastwater lost the bid because it offered only THB24 billion for the 30-year concession, while Wong Siam Construction had offered THB25.6 billion.
“The Treasury Department held the bidding properly and had taken all necessary steps,” he added.
The deputy minister also pointed out that Eastwater had only paid THB552 million for its previous 30-year concession, and the Treasury Department decided to seek a higher bid once the concession expired.
“The company that lost the bidding should be asked why it did not give this much money in the past,” said Santi, who is also secretary-general of the ruling party.
When asked if Pichet would be allowed to remain in the party now that he has questioned the party secretary-general’s decision, Santi only said, “The media can answer this question for me”.
He said that if the opposition questioned the decision related to the project during the next censure debate, he would be ready to clear all doubts.
Independent governor candidate Chadchart Sittipunt has come up as a top favourite among Bangkokians in yet another opinion survey.
The newest census was carried out by Today Poll among 24,810 eligible voters in the capital’s 50 districts from April 1 to 30. Results of the survey, conducted as part of Dr Punnatrik Israngkura Na Ayutthaya’s research project, were released on Tuesday.
He said 42.72 of the respondents are women, 53.26 per cent men and 4.02 per cent from the LGBTQ population.
Of the respondents, 21.14 per cent said they would vote for Chadchart, 19.18 per cent preferred Democrat Party candidate Suchatvee Suwansawat, while 15.28 per cent were in favour of former governor Aswin Kwanmuang.
The other candidates trailed behind with Move Forward’s Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn getting 13.75 per cent, independent candidate Sakoltee Phattiyakul 8.81 per cent, Thai Sang Thai’s Sita Dhivari 8.21 per cent and independent Rosana Tositrakul 8.16 per cent. The remaining 5.47 per cent of the respondents opted for others.
Opinion surveys by other pollsters also found Chadchart leading the list among Bangkok voters.
Punnatrik said 82.85 per cent of the respondents have decided who they will vote for, while 17.15 per cent are still undecided.
When asked what problems they wanted the new governor to handle, 41.01 per cent hoped their economic hardship would be eased, 12.58 per cent cited traffic jams and transport, 12.12 per cent said quality of life, 11.83 per cent want the city to become safer and 10.65 per cent asked for cleanliness and better environment.
The survey also found that 55.52 per cent of the respondents said their family members would vote for the same candidate as them.
Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan is tipped to succeed General Prayut Chan-o-cha as interim PM should the Constitutional Court rule that Prayut must demit office after holding the post for eight years, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Monday.
Prayut will finish eight years in office in August as he had taken the reins of PM on August 24, 2014 following a military coup staged by him that led to the installation of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)-backed government.
Section 158 of the charter bars any individual from holding the post of PM for more than eight years, regardless of whether the four-year terms are served separately or back-to-back.
Wissanu said he would be the second in line to succeed Prayut as interim PM.
Once the interim PM is selected, the House Speaker will hold a meeting to select a new prime minister from the list submitted by political parties. “The candidates on the list include former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, Anutin Charnvirakul, Chaikasem Nitisiri, Sudarat Keyuraphan, and Chadchart Sittipunt, although some of these candidates have already resigned from their parties,” said Wissanu.
Should the house reject any of the candidates on the list, members of Parliament can propose an external candidate but they must receive at least 500 of the total 750 votes. Wissanu said the last scenario was “very unlikely”.
The interim PM can stay in office until March next year, which is when the term of the current Parliament ends.
Wissanu said he had clarified on this matter as there are rumours doing the rounds of an “accident” forcing Prayut to leave office soon. Since then, there have been speculations about who would take over as PM from Prayut.
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