By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PAETONGTARN SHINAWATRA will not be finally chosen as the No.1 among a trio of Pheu Thai contestants for prime minister though she may be virtually performing as a magnet to draw popular support for the whole party, de facto guided by her father, said an outspoken senator today (Feb.12).
According to Senator Wanchai Sonsiri, de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra will eventually prefer another person over his youngest daughter to be top partisan contender for head of a post-election government because, he said, Paetongtarn will be otherwise denied by many senators.
Many of the 250 senators all of whom had been handpicked by the 2014 coup junta under leadership of army chief-turned-premier Prayut Chan-o-cha will almost certainly reject Paetongtarn if she failed to muster yea votes from more than half the total of MPs and senators combined, or from at least 376 of the total lawmakers, according to the senator.
Not only those lawmakers but many people might probably take to the Bangkok streets in protest of Thaksin, literally represented by his daughter Paetongtarn, if she was named the No.1 Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister, Wanchai said.
Wanchai predicted Thaksin will almost certainly manage to have a third person among a trio of Pheu Thai partisan contenders for prime minister unveiled to the public sooner or later. The name of the third Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister might not be known to the public until the first day of official application for electoral candidacy.
Remarkably, Wanchai said, the third Pheu Thai contestant for prime minister will very likely be the party’s No.1 among the trio which include Thaksin’s daughter and real estate tycoon Settha Taweesin, known as personally close to Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra.
It remains to be seen whether Thaksin will finally pick former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai as the No.1 Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister after Paetongtarn has openly dismissed him.
The outspoken senator is known to be personally associated with Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan who is contesting the upcoming general election as the sole partisan contender for prime minister.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Senator Wanchai Sonsiri, right, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left. Photo: Matichon
Front Page: Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Photo: Thai Rath
Also read: Pheu Thai MPs visiting Thaksin, Yingluck in Singapore
Pheu Thai never planned to bring Thaksin back home: Chonlanan
Pheu Thai pushes Prayut to act on ministers with 2 wives
Pheu Thai uninvolved in pre-election agreement on future coalition: Chonlanan
