Chachoengsao Senator Nikom elected new Senate speaker
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Chachoengsao Senator Nikom Wairatphanit was elected the new Senate speaker on Tuesday.
Nikom beat appointed Senator Pichet Sunthornpinit by 77 to 69 votes in the second round of voting.
There are currently 146 senators out of the 150 seats in the upper chamber. The winner requires more than 73 votes to win the post.
There are currently 146 senators out of the 150 seats in the upper chamber. The winner requires more than 73 votes to win the post.
Nikom replaces Thiradet Meepian, who stepped down after he receiving a suspended jail sentence for unlawfully giving himself a pay increase while serving as a member of the Election Commission.
It took the Senate two rounds of voting to elect the new speaker. The first threehorse race failed to elect any candidate with a majority vote.
In the first round of voting, Pichet got 63 votes while Nikom won only 46 votes. The third candidate Kecha Saksomboon, a Ratchaburi senator, received 35 votes. The fourth candidate, appointed Senator Sunan Singsomboon, got just two votes.
A second round was held, with Pichet facing off against Nikom.
Most of the elected senators who voted for Kecha, apparently gave their support to Nikom, who is a deputy Senate speaker.
In his campaign speech before the vote, Nikkom said he has been serving as a deputy Senate speaker for four years and had thus proved he was qualified for the top Senate posiiton.
He promised to bolster the authority of Senate panels by increasing their budgets.
