Sudarat may contest from Don Muang
By-election in solid Pheu Thai area; some say stalwart unlikely to accept
Sudarat Keyuraphan might return to politics and many Pheu Thai MPs are supporting her to run in the Don Muang MP by-election, said Pheu Thai Party leader Charupong Ruangsuwan.
However, final selection of the candidate will be up to the party executives, who meet on Tuesday to select the candidate, he said.
“Sudarat is a prominent person in the party, and the constituency has always belonged to the party. But this does not mean that our candidate will be automatically elected – we have to win approval of the locals first,” he said, adding that the party was confident it could announce the candidate next week.
Charupong talked to Sudarat by phone on Thursday, but refused to reveal the topic of their conversation.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said several candidates might be nominated, adding that Sudarat had the support of many MPs. However, ultimately it will be up to her, he said.
Sudarat was a Thai Rak Thai executive until the party’s dissolution and her five-year ban from politics came into force. The ban ended last May. Her name appeared as a possible candidate for the Pheu Thai Party in the Bangkok gubernatorial election on March 3, but she refused to vie for the post, saying that she preferred to work to promote Buddhism.
A Pheu Thai source who asked not to be named said if Sudarat refuses again to run, which is likely, other names that would appear as possible candidates including former MPs Pavena Hongsakula, Sita Divari and Jatuporn Promphan.
However, Jatuporn has also refused to run in the election.
The Election Commission has scheduled June 16 for the MP by-election in Bangkok’s Don Muang district, according commissioner Prapun Naigowit.
The by-election is to replace Pheu Thai’s Karun Hosakul, whose voting rights were revoked for five years after he was found guilty of defaming Democrat Tankhun Jittitsara.
Candidacy registration will open from May 28 to June 1 and absentee voting will take place on June 9, said Prapun, adding that there would be no absentee voting outside the constituency.
Those who want to vote in advance can register from May 27 to 31, he said.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he supported Tankhun as he had been working continuously to help the locals, despite his failure to win in 2011. However, he realised the election would be tough competition for Tankhun, as no Democrat had won election in this constituency.
Prapun said the cost of the by-election was estimated at about Bt10 million and Karun would have to pay.
The EC has sued a number of politicians who have been found guilty of electoral fraud. The agency is eligible for about Bt300 million in compensation, only some of which it has received. Pheu Thai’s Preechapol Pongpanich is also being sued by the EC for Bt15 million in a similar case of fraud, Prapun said.
