Prawit tipped to get more votes than any others for PM

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

PALANG PRACHARATH Party leader Prawit Wongsuwan will likely secure more yea votes from among MPs and senators as a partisan candidate for prime minister than any others after the next general election, according to an outspoken senior lawmaker.

Senator Wanchai Sonsiri posted on his Facebook page today (Dec.3) to forecast a majority of 250 senators will likely join ranks with a decisive number of MPs to pick the Palang Pracharath boss for prime minister though the Pheu Thai Party might possibly have the most of the total 500 MPs under their banners after the nationwide election.

Prawit is invariably viewed as “kingmaker” who used to be instrumental in the setting up of the Palang Pracharth-led coalition government and naming of coup leader Prayut Chan-o-cha as unelected prime minister after the 2019 general election.

The unelected senators are largely speculated to be divided when it comes to their choosing between Prawit and Prayut for the top post of government though they have mostly cast their votes as a solid, unified bloc on varied legislations and motions at parliament. 

According to the senator, all his fellow senior lawmakers would only choose to either vote Prawit or Prayut but no others for prime minister whilst the MPs’ votes might probably be more diverse.

The Palang Pracharath boss who concurrently acts as deputy prime minister might probably be the only one who could negotiate and compromise with all parties contesting the general election, speculated early next year, Wanchai said.

Wanchai said most of the unelected senators will likely cast yea votes for Prawit rather than Prayut or anyone else as contender for head of a post-election government.

Though the Pheu Thai Party under guidance of de facto party boss Thaksin Shinawatra might possibly have a large number of MPs, the largest opposition party might probably fail to set up a coalition government of their own, thus leaving it to “kingmaker” Prawit who may simply conclude that this time is his turn, the senator said.

The parties being currently attached to the opposition bloc practically could not come to terms with those currently on the coalition side without the Palang Pracharath boss in between, Wanchai said, referring to the Bhumjaithai Party, Democrat Party, Pheu Thai Party and Thai Liberal Party, among others.

According to the outspoken senator, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of the de facto Pheu Thai boss, who will run among a trio of partisan contestants for prime minister would likely be outvoted by the Palang Pracharath boss as far as the pro-Prawit senators are concerned.

His comments apparently followed hearsay that the largest coalition partner Palang Pracharath and the largest opposition Pheu Thai had reached some kind of agreement in hush-hush fashion on the setting up of a post-election coalition government in which both of them would join though it remains to be seen who will finally take the helm.

Nevertheless, the Palang Pracharath and Pheu Thai, among others, are apparently having one thing in common – keeping Prayut at bay in spite of his thinly-veiled design to prolong his rule for about two more years as allowed by court after the general election.

CAPTION:

Top and Front Page: Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwan. Top photo: INN News, Front Page photo: Thai Rath

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