By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PRAYUT Chan-o-cha today (Dec.8) shrugged off Palang Pracharath top leader Prawit Wongsuwan’s latest remark that he has practically departed the ruling party for another camp.
Prayut apparently ignored the Palang Pracharath boss’s comment made on Tuesday that he has already left the largest coalition partner whilst he may seek to prolong his rule for two years after the next general election.
Prayut who has been more or less inclined to join the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party with intent to have himself named a partisan candidate for head of a post-election government maintained that he had been named prime minister by the Palang Pracharath after the 2019 general election, thus viewing himself as part of the ruling party for the time being.
The unelected premier who has risen to power by way of the 2014 coup which he himself had orchestrated as army chief told reporters that no party has as yet offered to name him as contender for prime minister after the nationwide election, speculated early next year.
During a press conference, the Palang Pracharath boss told former commerce minister/former MP Mingkwan Saengsuwan who has recently joined the Palang Pracharath that Prayut has already departed his camp because Mingkwan had made it clear that he would certainly not have registered himself for Palang Pracharath membership if the current premier was still around in Prawit’s camp.
Meanwhile, Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul denied speculation that he might possibly succeed Prayut as head of a coalition government after the latter has run the country for two more years as provided by law which sets an eight-year limit to a prime minister’s tenure, either in consecutive or non-consecutive fashion.
The Bhumjaithai, steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, is widely speculated to join a post-election coalition no matter if it might possibly include the Palang Pracharath or Ruam Thai Sang Chart or both.
CAPTION:
Top: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwan, seat centre, former commerce minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan, seated left, and other party members. Photo: INN News
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