More Democrats resign in protest of Chalermchai

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

MORE DEMOCRAT MEMBERS have resigned in tacit protest of Saturday’s naming of Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on.

Former Democrat MP/former minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Satit Wongnongtoey and former Democrat MP Orn-anong Kanchanachusak have called it quits as members of the second largest opposition party with several others speculated sooner or later to follow suit.

Both are known as personally loyal to former Democrat leader/former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who had resigned as Democrat member and withdrawn himself from contesting for Democrat leader in an extraordinary partisan caucus on Saturday.

Former deputy Democrat leader/former deputy public health minister Satit Pitutecha had also resigned in apparent protest of the naming of Chalermchai as the latest Democrat leader.

Former Palang Pracharath MP Watanya “Madam Deer” Bunnag, spouse of Nation Group chair Chai Bunnag, is expected shortly to resign as Democrat member after she had been allegedly denied by the party’s rank and file to contest the top partisan leadership under excuse of her failure to secure partisan membership for a minimum of five consecutive years.

However, former Democrat leader/former prime minister/former House speaker Chuan Leekpai said he will not leave the country’s oldest party which, he said bluntly, has made him what he is today.

Chuan had unsuccessfully named Abhisit for Democrat leader shortly before Abhisit held private talks with Chalermchai which apparently prompted him to pull himself out and see the latter as the unrivalled leader.

Chuan said Watanya could have been allowed to contest instead of being practically blocked by certain partisan members.

Chalermchai, a former Democrat secretary-general/former agriculture & cooperatives minister, has secured solid support from 21 Democrat MPs, all of whom were said to have been taken care of by him since the last several years.

Newly-named Democrat secretary-general Det-it Khaothong has been apparently outstanding among the 21 pro-Chalermchai lawmakers.

CAPTIONS:

Top: Abhsit Vejjajiva, left, and Chalermchai Sri-on, right, holding talks on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.

Front Page from left: Watanya “Madam Deer” Bunnag, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Chalermchai Sri-on. Both photos: Thai Rath

Also read: Chuan tells Chalermchai not to turn into a party ‘reserved’ as future coalition partner

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