Banyat is stepping down today

Published on February 8, 2005

Abhisit favoured as new leader of the Democrat Party

Banyat Bantadtan will resign today as leader of the Democrat Party following the party’s heavy loss in Sunday’s election.

The resignation will be tendered today at a meeting of the party’s executive board. The move will leave Abhisit Vejjajiva, a deputy leader, as the leading candidate to become party leader.

Some party sources have not ruled out former Democrat MP Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, returning to Thailand from Geneva to head the party. Supachai’s term as director-general of the World Trade Organisation finishes at the end of August.

Supachai told The Nation in an interview at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos last week that he had been in touch with some members of the Democrat Party but has no plan to return to politics in the immediate future.

“There is an opportunity to stay in the international arena. My future may become clear in the next few months. I don’t have to make the decision now,” he said.

Sources from the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party suggested that a combination of Supachai and Abhisit could mount a more concrete challenge and give the Democrats greater ammunition to fight the TRT in the next election.

The election of a new leader to head the Democrat Party is not due until April. In the meantime either Abhisit or fellow deputy leader Jurin Laksanavisit is expected to serve as caretaker leader.

Also yesterday, Democrat secretary-general Pradit Phattaraprasit indicated that he and other party executives would also resign.

A party source said party-list MP Suthep Thaugsuban might replace Pradit as the Democrats’ next secretary-general.

As party leader, Banyat said, he would have to take responsibility for the Democrat’s defeat in Sunday’s general election.

“Although several factors might have lead to the defeat, as the leader of the organisation I have to consider myself as having failed to lead the organisation to its goal,” Banyat said.

“Moreover, I’ve said earlier that I would resign if the Democrats got fewer House seats than it did in the previous election.”

Banyat said he was not sorry that he had to step down as party leader and was thankful for every vote his party received.

“Even in Bangkok, we received more votes than in the Bangkok governor election, so I would like to say that this political party does not feel discouraged and we will go on performing our duty,” Banyat said.

“I will stay here to help make the party stronger. I’ve said several times that our party will not depend on one person because we have several capable party members,” Banyat said.

He said that today’s meeting would also focus on determining the cause for the party’s election loss.

Banyat said what worried him most was that the Democrats had fewer than 100 House seats, thus making it hard for the party to fulfil its role of assuring checks and balances in Parliament.

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