Chai Chidchob emerging as favourite

People Power Party executives could decide on the new House Speaker candidate today, spokesman Kuthep Saikrachang said yesterday.

Kuthep said the meeting of party MPs will take place as usual and the House Speaker candidate is expected to be discussed. However, it was still uncertain whether the executive board, which is authorised to decide the issue, will make a decision on a candidate today.

If the executive board does choose a candidate, the name will be nominated at the House meeting this week. The party must nominate a candidate to the House by next week, while the House is still in session, he said.

MPs have the right to vote in the House meeting, but not in the party's nomination. MPs' opinions were personal and may vary, he added.

The names of 80-year-old MP Chai Chidchob and Deputy House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont were mentioned as possible candidates. Some MPs from the Northeast supported Chai, the father of Thaksin's close aide Newin, while MPs from the North and some from the Northeast supported Somsak for the post.

A PPP source, who asked not to be named, said the party MPs had agreed to let Chai Chidchob be the sole candidate for the post as they wanted the public to see the party's unity. Lack of unity would allow others to attack the party. The MPs then agreed to change their position from supporting Somsak Kiatsuranont to Chai.

Former House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat did not oppose the idea, and any disagreement between the MPs from the North and the Northeast was only during an initial survey, the source said.

Furthermore, ministers would not want to resign for the House Speaker's post, which needed knowledge and skills in moderating House of Representative meetings.

Deputy secretary-general Noppadon Pattama said he believed party MPs would all vote for the same candidate.

MPs should discuss any disagreements within the party so as not to confuse the public, he said.

The party's MPs will have to scrutinise the names carefully before nominating a candidate in Parliament, as a House Speaker must be accepted by Opposition MPs. Thaksin had nothing to do with the decision, he added.

Nakhon Panom MP Paichit Sriworakhan said he would respect the party's resolution no matter who the chosen candidate was. Chai is experienced while Somsak is a young man with bright future.

However, the House Speaker must represent not only the party's MPs but also the Legislative branch, so the selection must be done carefully, he added.

Khon Kaen MP Panya Sripanya said the House Speaker must be senior and knowledgeable. From discussions with other MPs, Chai's age should not be a problem as he is experienced as he has been an MP for many terms and is hard-working.

Coalition parties would not oppose either of the candidates as they did not propose any of their own, he said. Former Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra had not given support to any candidate and had let the party's MPs to decide on their own, Panya said.