Kla Party says Korn is its PM candidate, won't back outsider
Kla Party’s leader Korn Chatikavanij will be its prime ministerial candidate at the next general election, spokesman Sanyakorn Singhaweratham said on Thursday, denying media reports that the party would support someone from outside its nomination list to become the next PM.
The spokesman said that Korn, a former finance minister, is suitable to head the government at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The country is faced with multiple economic problems for over two years — business closures, no tourists, higher fuel prices and cost of living. Those issues can be solved by creating income for the country and people,” Sanyakorn said.
“So, the government head must be an expert in economic matters who has experience in tackling an economic crisis,” he added.
The spokesman also pointed out that while serving as the finance minister, Korn was credited with leading the Thai economy out of the economic fallout from the US subprime mortgage crisis that contributed to the global financial crisis between 2007 and 2010.
“[Korn] is an expert in economic, financial and monetary matters. This skill is necessary to tackle the country’s economic issues,” the spokesman said.
“We are ready to work with any political party that shares Kla Party’s measures in tackling the economic problems,” he added.
Kla was established in June 2020, months after Korn resigned from the coalition Democrat Party in January that year. He had served as deputy party leader.
His resignation came just months after Korn lost a race to become the new Democrat leader.
While serving as the finance minister in Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat-led coalition government, Korn was named “Finance Minister of the Year 2010” by the Financial Times’ The Banker magazine, which complimented him for his “financial management skills as he assumed the finance ministerial position in Thailand amid the economic stagnation”.