Source: Shangguan News
There is a lot of concern after Peetonthan was removed by the Constitutional Court for “calling the door,” who would become Thailand’s next prime minister.
At present, many potential candidates have surfaced. Who are they? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Who has the best hope?
Guess Carson is the only survivor.
A official in Thailandly told the Thai Party on Monday that the party would nominate Guggenheim Carson as prime minister candidate.
Carson, who just turned 77, is a lawyer who has served as Attorney General and Attorney General and has extensive experience in government and legal work.
In 2023, Carson was elected to Congress, but resigned shortly after becoming an adviser to former Prime Minister Saida.
In the 2019 and 2023 general elections, Chaika Carson was elected as one of the candidates for the Pheu Thai prime minister.
In August last year, after then-prime minister Sita was dismissed for being unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, Carson was suspected to be the party's only prime minister candidate, but was eventually replaced by Petun Tammy for health reasons.
Carson has been impressed with poor physical condition, such as having a stroke during the 2023 campaign that made it difficult to walk, and has remained low.
In recent months, Chai Carson seems to have taken on a completely new look and presented himself with a vibrant image.
He posted photos of himself playing golf on social media and appeared energetic in the face of the media.
In mid-month, he said his health had improved significantly and was ready to go to war at any time.
With both Petonthan and Sayata removed, Carson is thought to be the only “survivor” of the three prime ministers’ candidates for the Thai Party in 2023, and is also considered the party’s best choice to face the current challenge.
But it's unclear whether Carson can win the support of his governing coalition partners to garner enough votes.
Napong, a visiting scholar at the Thai Studies Program at the Yusuf Issa Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, pointed out that opponents may use Kasen's series of questions to attack him. Including his health problems and his willingness to amend the "Offence to the Prince Law", which has crossed the red line for the "royalists".
Anutin: seeking cooperation with opposition parties
In addition to the Thai party, other potential prime ministers include proud Thai party leader Anutin, Thai Unity Founding Party leader Pira Ram Sharifata Weipak, former prime minister Bharu and Democratic party leader Julin Rashanawi.
At the age of 58, Anutin served as Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister.
His Proud Thai Party was once the second largest party in the ruling coalition, but it withdrew from the coalition in June this year due to reasons such as Petuntan's "call door" and differences in the cabinet reshuffle plan.
Mr. Anutin, who served as health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially dismissed the epidemic as "just a flu". He has since become more prominent as the epidemic has spread, overseeing vaccine purchases, containment measures and treatments. He has also been credited with helping restart tourism to revive the economy.
Anutin also made good on a 2019 campaign promise to legalize and promote medical marijuana, but the move angered conservatives.
The proud Thai Party is currently seeking cooperation with other political parties such as the opposition People's Party (formerly the far-reaching party that won the general election in 2023).Napon believes that Anutin may use the most popular People's Party to position himself as the most attractive candidate, but whether it will work remains to be seen.
Pilapan: Former consultant of Prayut
Like Anutin, the 66-year-old Piracic also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy.
Under the leadership of Piraeus, the Ministry of Energy has promoted energy price transparency, oil import regulatory reform, and lower electricity prices to ease the burden on citizens.
Piraeus also served as Justice Minister, and was elected to represent the Democratic Party seven times, and later became an adviser to former Prime Minister Barroso.
Piracic is one of the founders of the conservative Thai Unity Builder Party, which created the party aimed at supporting Piracic in the 2023 general election.
However, Pilapan is currently under investigation for suspected corruption in the distribution of flood relief supplies, but he denies the accusation.
Prayut: The former prime minister comes out of the mountain again?
Former Prime Minister Prayut, 71, is regarded as a staunch conservative and "royalist."
In 2014, as commander of the Army, Mr. Bahr al-Bashir led a high-ranking military coup to overthrow the Iraqi government, after which Mr. Bahr al-Bashir served as prime minister, leading Thailand for a decade until 2023.
Although he has retired from politics, Mr. Prayuth remains influential in Thai politics, supported by the country's conservatives and "royalists", and in 2023 he was appointed to the King's Privy Council.
However, the path of the Prime Minister is also a serious obstacle.
First, in order to become Prime Minister, he must resign from the post of Secretary-General; secondly, due to constitutional constraints, he has only two years to serve as Prime Minister.
Moreover, Mr. Prayuth's return could "hit a wall" in public opinion after months of mass student protests calling for his ouster.
Jules: Democratic Party Senator
Zhu Lin, 69, was the leader of the Democratic Party and is a veteran of the party.
As early as 10 years ago, he served as health secretary and education secretary in Democratic-led governments, and as commerce secretary during the Prayut administration from 2019 to 2023.
Zhu Lin resigned as party leadership due to his poor performance in the 2023 election.
The party, which has close ties to the conservative establishment and is a longtime rival of Pheu Thai, "reversed course" and joined the ruling coalition last year.
Recently, Julin’s support and influence has been declining due to the rise in appeal of some members of the “flight” and other more progressive political parties.
Could the new prime minister be a “cruel”?
The Thai Constitution stipulates that when the post of prime minister is terminated, all cabinet members must also step down, and the Lower House of Parliament will be responsible for selecting a new prime minister.
Acting Prime Minister Putan will lead the caretaker cabinet to continue to perform its duties until the new cabinet takes office.
But the constitution does not specify a timetable for the election of a new prime minister, and the outside world is expected to start at the earliest next week.
Analysts believe that all forces lack a strong candidate for prime minister. The ruling coalition led by the Pheu Thai Party has a weak majority in the House of Commons, and the House of Commons may go through multiple rounds of voting to determine a new prime minister.
"Identifying a new prime minister will be very difficult and may take a long time," commented Saditun Thananitichoat, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. "It is not easy to get the interests of all parties to agree, and Pheu Thai is currently at a disadvantage."
It was also commented that Pheu Thai's ability to maintain the prime minister's position by guessing Carson will still depend on whether Thaksin Shinawatra, the party's de facto leader behind the scenes, can continue to reach a compromise with Thailand's conservatives. "Thaksin remains at the heart of a fierce political deal."
In addition, there is a major variable in the next game – whether to dissolve the House of Commons and re-election.
If the re-election is unfavorable to the Thai Party (the party has refused to re-elect), instead favor the main opposition Party of the People's Party, and threaten the conservatives, "Bourgeois" and military interests. Analysts point out that the current power is still in the hands of the elite and conservatives, considering their own interests and the current state of political turmoil and economic downturn, it may be cautious and cautious about whether to take this step of the general election.