By Thai Newsroom Reporters
IN WHAT WAS SEEN as a significant twist in Thailand’s volatile political climate, former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has today (Oct. 22) called it quits as Pheu Thai leader, leaving the neo-conservative party in limbo ahead of a general election which may be held in the next four or five months.
Paetongtarn, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra, tendered her resignation with immediate effect at the party’s headquarters as leader of the party, currently part of the opposition bloc. A new Pheu Thai leader is yet to be named alongside new members of the party’s executive board in an extraordinary party caucus which is yet to be scheduled.
Today’s surprise phenomenon at Thaksin’s camp occurred after Paetongtarn had visited her inmate father at Klong Prem prison on Monday and barely a couple of weeks after she had presided over a pompous partisan workshop aimed at boosting some esprit de corps among the party’s rank and file and bracing for their electoral campaigns.
“I was confident that structural change of the Pheu Thai must get started as soon as possible. So I chose to resign as party leader to give way for an independent, complete overhaul and reconstruction of the party,” Paetongtarn announced in a press release.
Acting Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong said Paetongtarn has called it quits as party leader with intent to keep the party’s rank and file from encountering despicable allegations which would otherwise adversely affect their electoral campaigns since she was deposed by the Constitutional Court of her elected premiership on severe ethical grounds a few months ago.
Besides, according to a partisan source, a petition could possibly be filed to the Constitutional Court to determine whether Paetongtarn would be legitimately empowered to certify the candidacy of all partisan members vying in the election for MPs if she continued to perform as party leader after she had been ousted by court as head of government on severe ethical charges pertaining to last June’s leaked, disreputable telephone conversation between senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen and herself over Thai-Cambodian border conflict.
Meanwhile, many current and former Pheu Thai MPs are largely speculated to depart for other parties and seek re-election under the tickets of their new camps following Paetongtarn’s fiasco including former Pheu Thai leader Sompong Amornvivat who resigned as partisan member and automatically lost his MP status whilst it remains to be seen whether his son/former deputy finance minister/now Pheu Thai MP Julapan Amornvivat may follow suit.
Though Sam Mit Group co-leader Suriya Juangroongruangkit was named director of Pheu Thai electoral campaigns, several Pheu Thai MPs at command of Sam Mit Group co-leader Somsak Thepsuthin and himself might finally leave for another camp after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolves the House of Representatives to call a general election which may be held as soon as in the upcoming February or March.
Those current Pheu Thai MPs and former ones are more or less speculated to defect to the Klatham under de facto party boss/Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao, especially those contesting for northern, upper-central and southern constituencies.
CAPTIONS:
Former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatar at Pheu Thai party headquarters where she announced her resignation. Top and Front Page – Thai Rath
Insert: De facto Pheu Thai boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra. Photo – Thai Rath
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Paetongtarn ousted as PM by Constitutional Court over unethical, dishonest deal with Hun Sen
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Scammers have moved their base from Cambodia to Thailand: Magazine
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