Thailand’s prime minister accepts his party’s nomination in May elections

Prayuth Chan Ocha names his party chief as second choice in May general election

March 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan Ocha, has accepted this Saturday the nomination of his party to revalidate his mandate in the general elections in May and took advantage of it to designate the secretary general of the formation as an alternative candidate for the head of government.

Prayuth will try to consolidate his dominance over the country in these elections almost a decade after the coup that brought him to power. However, given that in Thailand each party can nominate up to three candidates in advance to be considered for the post of prime minister, the country’s current leader has decided to name Pirapan Salirathavibhaga as his alternative.

The deputy candidate, 64, is a political veteran who was appointed in December to the crucial post of Prayuth’s general secretary. He previously served as the justice minister in the administration of Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Prayuth made the announcement at the rally of the formation, the United Thai Nation, held this Saturday in the province of Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, where he presented the candidates for deputies for 400 electoral districts throughout the country, reports the ‘Bangkok Post’.

The formation, established in 2021 to back Prayuth as a prime ministerial candidate in the primary, faces competition from Thailand’s main political parties, which are trying to lure voters with promises ranging from sharp increases in cash handouts and salaries until the suspension of debt payments.

Prayuth, 69, will probably have as his main rival Paetongtarn Shinawatra, of the Pheu Thai party, the daughter and niece of two former prime ministers, and the visible head of one of the richest dynasties in the country.

Despite his recent decline in opinion polls, the prime minister hopes to come back with a conservative message in favor of the country’s stability and the protection of the monarchy.