By Thai Newsroom Reporters
Updated at 6.30 p.m. Dec. 16, 2025
DE FACTO KLATHAM BOSS Thammanat Prompao will certainly be named top partisan contestant for prime minister in the Feb.8 election, confirmed Klatham leader Naruemon Pinyosinwat today (Dec.16).
Thammanat, the acting deputy prime minister-cum-acting agriculture & cooperatives minister, has been reportedly determined to contest the elected premiership against others in the nationwide election despite allegations of his being surreptitiously associated with transnational scam and money-laundering suspects such as the likes of Benjamin Mauerberger, alias Ben Smith, earlier known as business adviser to de facto Pheu Thai boss/inmate Thaksin Shinawatra and senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
However, Naruemon, who concurrently performs as acting education minister, stopped short of confirming whether she herself might probably be one of Thammanat’s running mates for prime minister. Neither did she say whether the Klatham will eventually send a trio or a couple of partisan candidates for prime minister in addition to the de facto party boss.
She only confirmed that Thammanat will definitely top the list of Klatham candidates vying for head of a post-election government.
Thammanat has been anticipated to quietly encourage many ex-MPs to depart from their current parties to his own and seek re-election under the Klatham tickets. Those included several ex-Democrat MPs headed by former Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on who have already jumped onto the Klatham bandwagon to seek re-election mostly in southern constituencies.
The de facto Klatham boss has earlier predicted that his camp will secure some 80 MP seats in the Feb.8 election, mostly in northern and southern constituencies.
Meanwhile, the Pheu Thai today formally declared a trio of partisan contestants for prime minister, namely Thaksin’s nephew/deputy Mahidol University rector Yodchanan Wongsawat, Sam Mit Group co-leader/former transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Pheu Thai leader/former deputy finance minister Julapun Amornvivat.
Yodchanan pledged to not get himself under pressure from his own mother, Yaowapa Wongsawat, when it comes to political and partisan issues since she had been earlier put to blame for having tampered with the Pheu Thai rank and file in charge of electoral campaigns for northern constituencies.
That Yaowapa who still has several ex-MPs representing northern constituencies under her command had quietly interloped into partisan affairs had reportedly prompted Julapun’s father, Sompong Amornvivat, to stage a lone protest by calling it quits as Pheu Thai member and party-listed MP.
Many of the ex-Pheu Thai MPs have already left the neo-conservative camp for the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai or Klatham, especially those representing northern and northeastern constituencies.
The People’s have earlier proclaimed a trio of partisan contestants for prime minister, namely People’s leader/ex-MP Nattapong Ruengpanyawut, ex-People’s MP Sirikanya Tansakun and Veerayooth Kanchoochat.
Nevertheless, the Bhumjaithai, core of the caretaking coalition government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, is yet to formally unveil a couple of partisan contenders for prime minister in addition to Caretaker Prime Minister/Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul since neither Acting Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Acting Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapat nor Acting Commerce Minister Supajee Suthumpun have formally accepted or denied it.
Anutin has earlier categorically dismissed allegations that he had personally fostered business connections with Ben Smith whom, he said, he had only known as an ”acquaintance” and that he had never borrowed a private jet or yacht from the Cambodia-based scam suspect.
CAPTIONS:
De facto Klamtham boss Thammanat Prompao. Above hoto – Amarin TV, Front Page photo – MNG Online
Insert – Pheu Thais’s candidates for prime minister, from left, Yodchanan Wongsawat, Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Julapun Amornvivat. Photo – Thai Rath
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