Prawit re-elected as PPRP leader after immediate resignation

PUBLISHED : 29 Jul 2023 at 10:57

UPDATED : 29 Jul 2023 at 12:58

Prawit re-elected as PPRP leader after immediate resignation — Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwon shows his new MP identification card to reporters after registering with the Office of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives on June 20, 2023. The 77-year-old politician has been re-elected as PPRP leader on Saturday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)

Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has been re-elected as the Palang Pracharath Party leader, hours after stepping down from the position on Saturday morning.

Following the immediate resignation of Gen Prawit, who also serves as a caretaker deputy prime minister, the PPRP began the voting process to elect a new party leader and a 21-member executive board.

Palang Pracharath MP Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn nominated Gen Prawit for the top post, and he was the sole candidate.

The unofficial voting results showed thT Gen Prawit made a comeback as the party leader. The five new deputy leaders elected are Santi Promphat, Paiboon Nititawan, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Wirat Rattanaset, and Trinuch Thienthong.

Capt Thamanat Prompow, a key figure of the PPRP and MP for Phayao, became the party’s secretary-general again. He, along with 20 other MPs under his control, had been ousted from the party last year for plotting against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Before the voting started, Mr Paiboon said, “Gen Prawit will remain in the party and will always look after it.”

According to a party source, Gen Prawit did not attend the meeting.

This week, the election-winner Move Forward Party (MFP) stressed that it will not form a government with the PPRP and the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party as its coalition partners, calling them “remnants of a dictatorship”.