PPP factions vying for speaker's post

Factions in the ruling People Power Party have kicked off a new round of internal power play following Yongyuth Tiyapairat's resignation as House Speaker.

Power struggles among the factions has kept undermining the party's integrity since it defeated the Democrat Party in the December 23 election. In the absence of "actual" PPP leader Thaksin Shinawatra, the factions have jostled to control as many Cabinet seats and key Parliament posts as possible.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej knows his job is to keep the PPP running before the real boss returns to the political field, so he will not interrupt their games as long as the fighting does not plunge the whole party into a crisis of faith.

Ahead of Tuesday's meeting of the party's executive board, PPP cliques are pushing for their men to become the new head of the legislative branch.

Chai Chidchob and Somsak Kiatsuranont stand out as favourites to become the sole PPP candidate to replace Yongyuth when House members vote on the issue on Wednesday.

Northeastern MPs under Newin Chidchob's shadow have sent a strong message to the party that they want Chai to become Speaker.

Chai is not only Newin's father but also a long-time House member. Since he is the oldest of the House's 480 MPs, Newin's men claim he has the seniority required for the post.

The Newin gang had earlier fought with the followers of Sudarat Keyuraphan, another close aide to Thaksin, for seats in Samak's Cabinet.

The rise of Chai will reassert the power of his son Newin, who is banned from running in elections for five years.

Somsak represents the other group of party MPs from the Northeast. Although he has less support from local MPs, he is an acceptable choice for other House members, even for government-coalition or opposition parties.

Somsak is preferred over Chai in terms of having a clean record. Chai is facing a charge involving him with a land scandal in his home province of Buri Ram.

Meanwhile, Somsak has proved in recent years that he is tough enough to control House sessions, in which government and opposition MPs had tried to attack each other.

Other candidates - including Somchai Wongsawat, deputy prime minister and education minister, and Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat - are believed to have less of a chance because Samak is unlikely to think of a Cabinet reshuffle after spending only three months in office.