By D. Arul Rajoo, Bernama,
Bangkok : Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is set to become the 26th prime minister of Thailand after the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) on Monday confirmed him as the candidate to replace disqualified premier Samak Sundaravej.
PPP spokesman Kudeb Saikrajang said the party’s executive committee agreed unanimously to name the acting prime minister and Education Minister as the party’s choice when Parliament meets on Wednesday to elect the new prime minister.
“No vote was taken during Monday’s meeting as all party leaders agreed to name Somchai as our candidate. PPP’s members of parliament will meet later today to endorse the executive board choice,” he told a press conference.
He said PPP would meet the other five parties in the seven-month coalition government tomorrow to officially inform them about Somchai’s selection, adding that PPP was confident all its MPs would be present on Wednesday to ensure a clear passage for his appointment after the chaos last Friday that saw Samak’s exit.
A former judge, Somchai, 60, is the husband of Yaowapa, younger sister of Thaksin. He is a law graduate from Thammasat University and holds a masters degree in Public Administration from National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).
If endorsed by parliament, he will be the fourth prime minister in three years.
He was the Justice Ministry’s permanent secretary during the Sept 19, 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin. The soft-spoken Somchai quit his post and made his Cabinet debut when PPP won the Dec 23, 2006 election.
On Sept 9, Samak was disqualified by the Constitution Court for violating the Constitution by hosting the “Tasting and Grumbling” and “All Set at 6a.m.” cooking programmes while still in office.
Three days later, his comeback bid was dashed when his own party lawmakers snubbed him in Parliament.
Besides Somchai, two other candidates initially in the running were party secretary-general and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, and Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat.
On Sunday, Somchai lifted the state of emergency which was declared by Samak in the capital on Sept 2 following violent clashes between pro-government supporters and the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which led to one person killed and over 40 injured.
Thailand has been in political turmoil since Aug 26 when thousands of anti-government protesters under the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) seized the Prime Minister’s Office at the Government House.
They are still occupying the premises and had wanted Samak to resign as they claimed he was a proxy of Thaksin.
But after Samak’s exit, the PAD remained defiant and vowed to stay put as long as someone from PPP took over.
PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila told the Nation daily that a puppet prime minister from PPP would only support the interest of Thaksin, saying that PAD would prefer a new political system, with an unelected prime minister, probably from the elite class who has a clear mission.
“For example, when Anand Panyarachun was the prime minister, he was seen as a member of the elite class but the 1997 constitution incredibly had many points that favoured the people,” said Suriyasai.
PAD, which first started street protests on May 25 before storming the Government House, is pushing for a new political system with 70 percent appointed representatives and only 30 percent elected, claiming that this would curb corrupt politics and abuse of power.
In 2006, it organised massive street protests for months before the military staged a coup on Sept 19 2006 to oust Thaksin.
With no solution in sight, there is growing speculation the PPP would dissolve parliament soon.