Mongkol wins Senate speaker’s post with overwhelming majority

Mongkol Surasajja, former director-general of the Provincial Administration Department, snagged the Senate speaker’s post on Tuesday with an overwhelming 159 votes.

This victory confirms that the upper House is now dominated by senators close to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party. Mongkol is believed to have built close ties with Bhumjaithai and its patriarch Newin Chidchob during his time as Buri Ram governor.

The former governor easily beat the other two candidates – Premsak Piayura from a group of independent senators who only garnered 13 votes, while Nantana Nanthawaropas from the “new breed” group who won just 19 votes.

Four senators abstained and five ballots were declared invalid.
The first meeting of the newly-elected Senate was chaired by the senior-most senator Yutthana Thaiphakdee.

Yutthana led the swearing-in ceremony, in which the 200 senators promised to perform their duty with honesty and integrity for the interest of the country and the people, as well as to uphold and comply with the Constitution.

Senator General Kriangkrai Srirak said his group of the so-called 150 “blue senators” had resolved to nominate Mongkol for the top senatorial post. The blue is the symbolic colour of the Bhumjaithai.

Kriangkrai himself was elected the first deputy Senate speaker with 150 votes.

In a speech delivered before the voting, Mongkol said that in his long career as assistant district chief at the Interior Ministry, he realised that he owes a lot to his country, so wanted to serve the nation as Senate speaker.

He said that in his new post, he will work hard to ensure all Thais have a better quality of life. He also promised to build unity in the chamber.

Mongkol said he work on uniting the different groups of senators, so the Senate can be turned into a chamber of Parliament that represents people from all walks of life. He said under his leadership, the Senate will also address the many crises in society.

Mongkol was born on August 9, 1952, in Saraburi and fled to the forest during the brutal crackdown on protesting
students on October 6, 1976. He was a student at Ramkhamhaeng University at the time.

After returning from exile, he continued his studies and earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He began working as assistant district chief on January 8, 1979.

Mongkol became Buri Ram governor in 2008 before being promoted to the post of Community Development Department director-general in 2009. A year later, he took on the powerful post of director-general of the Provincial Administration Department.