Thaksin Shinawatra’s nephew will head the Pheu Thai Party’s list of prime ministerial candidates as the party seeks a return to power in the upcoming general election.
Party leader Julapun Amornvivat said on Tuesday that Pheu Thai will nominate Yodchanan Wongsawat as its first choice for prime minister if the party wins the February 8 polls.
Two other candidates will also be included on the list: Mr. Julapun himself and veteran politician Suriya Juangroongruangkit.
“From internal party discussions it is clear that the most suitable person to propose for prime minister for the Pheu Thai Party is Mr. Yodchanan,” Mr. Julapun said at a media briefing following the official introduction of the three candidates.
“He is the person we will propose to be prime minister if we win the election,” Mr. Julapan said.
Mr. Julapun praised Mr. Yodchanan’s leadership qualities and his understanding of new technologies, saying these would be crucial for running the country should Pheu Thai return to government.
The party has been attempting to regain political ground after suffering reputational damage following a controversial phone conversation in June between then-prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter, and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, which came amid renewed border tensions.
Mr. Yodchanan, 46, has been associated with Thaksin since the founding of the now-dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party, which was later reconstituted under several names, most recently as Pheu Thai. He is the son of former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Yaowapha, Thaksin’s sister.
The youngest of the three candidates, Mr. Yodchanan has a background in engineering and expertise in technology.
Of the other nominees, Mr. Julapun, 50, previously served as deputy finance minister and has experience in economic management, while Mr. Suriya, 71, has held multiple ministerial posts, largely at the Transport Ministry, and is currently overseeing the party’s preparations for the election.
Mr. Yodchanan said he believes voters will return to Pheu Thai as they become more familiar with him and his ability to serve them during the campaign period.
At the press conference, Mr. Yodchanan stood at centre stage, flanked by Mr. Julapun and Mr. Suriya. “His position here (on stage) speaks for itself,” the party leader said.
In a statement later posted on social media, Pheu Thai said its three candidates offered answers to the country’s challenges.
“The profiles of the three prime ministerial candidates of the Pheu Thai Party comprehensively answer all challenges for the country to ‘step forward’ for ‘the reengineering of Thailand’.” the party said in a Facebook post.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Assoc Prof Yodchanan is recognised for his research in brain–computer interface technology.
He contested Chiang Mai’s Constituency 3 in the 2014 general election and was unofficially declared the winner, although the process was disrupted by political unrest and a subsequent coup.
During the Paetongtarn administration, he was appointed an expert member of the board of the Digital Government Development Agency.
During the candidate presentation, Mr. Yodchanan credited Thaksin with elevating Thailand’s position on the global stage and pledged to follow in his footsteps to restore the party.
Thaksin, 76, is currently serving a one-year prison sentence in what is known as the “14th floor hospital case”.
The former prime minister and billionaire was returned to prison on Sept 9 following an order from the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, which ruled that time spent at the Police General Hospital could not be counted as part of his sentence.
The court subsequently ordered him to serve one year in prison, in line with the commuted term of his original sentence.
