Democrat party power struggle emerges ahead of leadership election
A power struggle has emerged within the Democrat Party as a group of Members of Parliament (MPs), headed by Dech-it Khaothong, the Democrat MP for Songkhla, made moves to oppose the leadership bid of acting Deputy Leader Narapat Kaewthong. This event, which unfolded on Wednesday, saw a significant number of MPs express their reluctance to endorse Kaewthong.
The faction is rallying behind Chalermchai Sri-on, the acting secretary-general of the Democrat Party, in an attempt to position him as the preferred candidate for the party leader role. This comes in anticipation of the party’s general assembly, scheduled for tomorrow, where a new leader and members of the executive committee will be elected.
The source from within the party disclosed that the MPs favour Chalermchai because they believe that he can unify the party.
Chaichana Detdecho, the acting Deputy Secretary-General of the Democrat Party, confirmed the upcoming election for the new party leader. This follows a leadership void that has persisted for several months. Chaichana assured that the leadership vote would meet the required quorum, emphasising the democratic nature of the process.
“The Democrat Party is a political institution so every party member is given an equal chance to run as a candidate in the leadership contest. The party is not owned by any particular individual so no one knows in advance who will be elected as the new party leader.”
Dismissing speculations of him assuming the role of secretary-general, Chaichana clarified that he has not decided to contest yet. He stressed the need for the new leader to strive for party unity and devise strategies to tackle the nation’s economic challenges and advocate for decentralisation.
Last week, Watanya Bunnag, formerly a list MP belonging to the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), expressed her intention to run for the leadership of the Democrat Party (DP), following her switch to the latter in August. The election to decide the party’s leader is set to take place tomorrow, December 9.
