NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij is widely tipped to be the new leader of the Chartpattanakla Party in its next key meeting, a source said on Wednesday.
The source said the party called a general assembly for this coming Sunday in the northeastern province in order to restructure the party, a meeting that could see Mr Korn succeed Tewan Liptapallop as the party’s leader.
Mr Tewan’s elder brother, Suwat Liptapallop, would retain the party chairman’s post but seven executives guiding party policy would be replaced, the source added.
Mr Korn took about 80 members of Kla, the party he founded, to join Chartpattana last month. Chartpattana was later renamed Chartpattanakla, leaving Kla under the guidance of new leaders.
Chartpattanakla relocated its head office from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima on Wednesday and removed the statue of founder Chatichai Choonhavan from the capital to his political home in the province.
Late Gen Chatichai was the prime minister from 1988 to 1991, aiming to transform the former cold war battleground of Indochina into a new market-driven area.