Padipat not calling it quits as Deputy House Speaker

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

MOVE FORWARD MP PADIPAT Santipada announced today (Aug.13) he is not going to call it quits as Deputy House Speaker as pressed by others for the time being.

Padipat posted on his Facebook page to say he is not resigning as Deputy House Speaker so easily though some fellow lawmakers may be apparently pressing him to leave one of the top benches at parliament shortly since the Move Forward has already been dumped out of a Pheu Thai-led coalition with the likelihood of being pushed into an opposition bloc.

Speculated to become Second Deputy House Speaker is an MP of the Bhumjaithai which has joined the Pheu Thai-led coalition as the second largest partner whilst House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha will likely remain intact with his Prachachart having also been brought into coalition.

Pheu Thai MP Pichet Chuamuangpan will likely be promoted from Second Deputy House Speaker to First Deputy House Speaker in place of Padipat.

Though Wan Noor’s party only has nine MPs, he was named House Speaker without rivals due to an unsolved tussle between the Move Forward and Pheu Thai over the top post of the legislative branch.

Nevertheless, Padipat could probably become opposition leader in place of Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat if he was finally pressed to resign as First Deputy House Speaker, given a parliamentary tradition which warrants that all House Speaker and Deputy House Speaker seats be only provided for government MPs and not opposition ones.

Pita has been ordered by court to stop performing his MP duties pending a court ruling on a contentious case in which he has been alleged of unlawfully holding a tiny fraction of the non-operating ITV channel’s shares.

CAPTION:

Top and Front Page: Move Forward MP and Deputy House Speaker Padipat Santipada. Both photos: Thai Rath

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