Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate
The Hindu
His popularity is in the doldrums and the kingdom is battling a sluggish economy.
Thailand's ruling party on Friday named Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as its candidate to be premier in the kingdom's upcoming general election.
The army-backed Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) gave the 77-year-old former army chief the nod as unofficial campaigning gathers momentum — although no polling date has yet been announced.
Mr. Prawit will run against incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who earlier this month announced he would lead the campaign for the recently created Ruam Thai Sang Chart — in English, the United Thai Nation party.
Mr. Prayut came to power as army chief in a 2014 coup before cementing his position in a controversial election in 2019, and he and Mr. Prawit were close allies during the years of junta rule.
His popularity is in the doldrums and the kingdom is battling a sluggish economy struggling to recover from the pandemic, which hammered the key tourism sector.
PPRP launched Mr. Prawit's candidature at a low-key event in Bangkok that he did not attend.
"We unanimously proposed Prawit Wongsuwan to be the sole PM candidate of our party," PPRP deputy leader Paibul Nititawan told reporters.