Nikom won't quit as deputy ahead of speaker bid
Play
Deputy Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij said he would not resign from his post before announcing his candidacy for the post of Senate President.
Nikom’s decision prompted Ratchaburi Senator Kecha Saksomboon to announce that he would run in the Speaker's election.
Nikom defended his decision by saying there is no precedent for such an action, adding that some want him to resign now so they can exploit the situation.
Nikom urged his fellow senators to consider the public interest and reminded them that all elected senators have only a year and six months left in their tenure. He also said the situation was different from that of a minister not resigning prior to running in an election, as a minister can wield influence and unfairly affect the electoral result.
“That some said I should resign in order to look respectable – I don't see it that way. There are people who want this post to be vacant, and it will play into their interests if I resign.”
In a related development, General Somjate Boonthanom, an appointed senator, said the fact that appointed senators have different positions on whether to support a fellow appointed senator reflects the personal nature of the decision. He said all senators, be they appointed or elected, should use their personal discretion to decide who could best serve the public as senate president.
Somjate said he would be willing to vote for an elected senator if they were the best candidate.
