Korn set to join Chart Pattana as economic czar

At a joint press conference on Friday, Korn said that his party would not be merging with Chart Pattana as had been rumoured.

“Kla will still retain its status as a political party. Everyone in the party agrees to this coordination [between Korn and Chart Pattana],” Korn said.

Whether other politicians from the Kla Party would be moving along with him was a matter for the future, in accordance with the relevant legal steps, said Korn.

However, he avoided a question as to whether he had quit Kla to become a Chart Pattana member.

Korn was speaking at a press conference held at the Bangkok house of Chart Pattana Party chairman Suwat Liptapanlop.

The Constitution prohibits a merger of political parties with elected MPs during the term of the House of Representatives.

Chart Pattana, a coalition party, has four MPs while Kla Party was founded in June 2020, over a year after the 2019 general election.

Suwat confirmed on Friday that the press conference was not about a merger of the two parties. He said that Korn was invited to join Chart Pattana due to his strong economic background — having served as finance minister when the world economy was impacted by the US subprime mortgage crisis.

Suwat said he was convinced that as head of Chart Pattana’s economic team, Korn would be able to help save Thailand from the ongoing economic crisis.

He also said that Chart Pattana was ready to accept Korn and others from the Kla Party.

Korn will serve in an “important party position” that would allow him to tackle the economic crisis, Suwat said. However, it remains unclear if Korn will be a prime minister candidate of Chart Pattana in the next election.

Chart Pattana has called a meeting of party executives next week when Korn’s role and position in the party are expected to be discussed.