Ex-PM Somchai Wongsawat joins race for Senate
As soon as doors opened for senatorial candidates to register, former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat rushed to put his name down.
Local reports say he arrived at the Chiang Mai district office at about 9am but did not speak to reporters.
Somchai tenure as prime minister was short-lived (September 18 to December 2, 2008) and he had to tackle not just with Thailand’s political crisis but also the global financial crises.
Things came to a head for him when his People’s Power Party (PPP) was dissolved by the Constitutional Court over fraud allegations. Somchai and other party executives were banned from politics. Somchai is married to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister.
Meanwhile, Noppadol Suya, director of the Election Commission in Chiang Mai, said on Monday that he expects some 1,500 people in the province to apply for a post in the Senate.
He added that the first day of registration was promising, as many people showed interest in competing for a seat in the Upper House.
He also warned applicants to not break regulations by promoting or introducing themselves to the media.
According to the Constitution, applicants are required to vote among themselves in six round at three levels – district, provincial and national. The eventual aim is to select 10 senators each from the 20 eligible professional groups, with a reserve list of five candidates per group.
District-level voting will be held on June 9, followed by provincial level voting on June 16 and the final round on June 26.
