Senate Speaker race has implications for govt, and for Suthep
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The selection of the Senate Speaker on Tuesday is being seen as a test of the government's power in the Senate.
The voting results could also hint at the future of Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban, whose impeachment will be considered by the Senate in the near future.
Elected Chachoengsao Senator Nikom Wairatpanij and appointed Senator Pichet Soontornpipit are key candidates for the Senate’s top post.
On the surface, it is a competition between the elected and appointed camps. The elected senators’ camp says the Speaker should come from their group this time, as the two previous speakers of the current Senate, Prasopsook Boondej and General Thiradet Meepien, were appointed senators.
A group of elected senators yesterday met to discuss the selection of a candidate representing their group, after many elected senators put themselves forward for the top post. The group sought to find a single candidate from the camp to avoid a split vote.
One of a dozen or so elected senators who attended the meeting, Pol General Kovid Bhakdibhumi, said the elected senators would nominate Nikom as their only candidate.
“Nikom is very experienced. He has been a deputy Senate Speaker for four years. Moreover, the Senate Speaker should come from the elected senators this time, after appointed senators took the post for two times already,” he said.
Chiang Mai Senator Chuchai Lertpongadisorn, who earlier put himself forward for the post, said he had decided to withdraw to support unity among the elected senators.
Ultimately, the contest can be seen a test of the government’s power in the upper house.
Pichet said he believed he was seen as a candidate because he had remained neutral, adding that he did not want the voting to be seen as a competition between appointed and elected senators.
However, it is widely known that Nikom is close to the government. Meanwhile, the Group of 40 Senators, an activist group among the appointed senators, has taken a direction against the Pheu Thai Party and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto leader of the party.
Considering the role of the Senate in voting to impeach political office holders, looking at the views of most senators offers a hint as to the future of Democrat MP and former party secretary-general Suthep, whose impeachment will be considered by the Senate in the very near future.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission late last month announced it had found cause to suspect that Suthep violated the Constitution’s Article 268 when, as deputy prime minister, he ordered that 19 Democrat MPs be moved to the Culture Ministry.
The provision, detailed in Article 266 Paragraph 1, bans Cabinet members and lawmakers from interfering with the work of civil servants.
Nikom earlier said the Senate was ready to consider impeachment of Suthep without having to wait for the new Speaker.
The first meeting of the Senate on the issue has been scheduled for August 27.
An impeachment of an MP needs three-fifths (or 89) of the remaining senators. (There are currently 76 elected and 71 appointed senators.) It is not that clear which senator supports which group.
But Suthep and the Democrats should pay attention to which side the majority supports in the contest for new Senate Speaker – and how far it is from or close to 89.
