PT To Put Forward Fmr Justice Min Chaikasem As PM Candidate: Thairath

Bangkok newspaper Thairath is reportingthat the governing populist Pheu Thai (PT) party and its coalition allies are set to nominate former Justice Minister Chaikasem Nitisiri for the position of prime minister in a parliamentary vote this coming Friday (16 August). This comes after the removal of incumbent PM Sretta Thavasin and his cabinet due to a Constitutional Court ruling issued earlier today (see 'THAILAND: House Of Representatives To Convene 16 Aug To Select New PM', 1425BST).

• Chaikasem (76) served as Justice Minister from 2013-14 in the gov't of former PM Yingluck Shinawatra. He has long been a senior figure within the PT and has worked as the party's legal adviser. His apparent nomination sees him edge out PT leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra (37), who alongside Chaikasem and Sretta was a prime ministerial candidate for the party in 2023. There is media speculation that family figurehead Thaksin Shinawatra views Paetongtarn as too inexperienced to steer the country through its current turbulent political waters.
• The apparent swift agreement by all coalition members on Chaikasem's nomination seemingly removes the prospect of the progressive People's Party forming a majority alliance with PT, as had been mooted following the 2023 legislative election after the PP's predecessor - the Move Forward Party - won a plurality of seats.