PPRP To Nominate Prawit Wongsuwon As Its Sole Prime Ministerial Candidate

Thailand's ruling Palang Pracharath party (PPRP) said that its leader Prawit Wongsuwon will be its lone prime ministerial candidate in the upcoming general election after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha defected to the newly-formed United Thai Nation (UTN) party.

• Prawit insisted that his relations with Prayuth have not changed, despite Prayuth's decision to leave PPRP and join another party and the fact that PPRP and UTN will compete against each other in some constituencies.
• Prayuth, who led the 2014 coup d'etat, is hoping that his prime ministerial bid will be backed by the military-appointed 250-member Senate, which selects the head of government alongside the elected 500-member House of Representatives.
• Both the PPRP and the Prime Minister have struggled in opinion polls, which showed that the main opposition Pheu Thai party would likely win the election if it was held today.
• The Thai general election has been tentatively scheduled for May 7.