Bhumjaithai to nominate Paradorn as deputy House speaker
Bhumjaithai to fill post vacated by Padipat Suntiphada, one of the 11 politicians banned by Constitutional Court
The Bhumjaithai Party will nominate its Angthong MP, Paradorn Prissanananthakul, for the vacant seat of first deputy House speaker on Wednesday, a well-informed party source has told The Nation.
The source said coalition leader Pheu Thai had conceded that the vacant first deputy House speaker seat was part of the Bhumjaithai quota.
The post was part of Move Forward Party’s quota while it was trying to form a coalition government and was given to then MFP executive and Phitsanulok MP Padipat Suntiphada.
When the MFP failed to form a coalition and became the opposition, the MFP expelled Padipat on a technicality to allow the party to retain both the deputy House speaker and opposition leader posts.
The deputy House speaker post became vacant after the MFP was dissolved and members of its executive, who held office when the party ampaigned for the amendment of Article 112, were banned from politics. Padipat was among them.
The Bhumjaithai source said the post of first deputy House speaker belonged to the coalition leader but explained that Pheu Thai MP Pichet Chuamuangphan had decided not to resign as second deputy House speaker to contest the vacant position.
Buri Ram MP Sopon Sarum was initially considered a strong candidate for the post, the source added, but had informed the party he was not interested.
Paradorn is a son of former education minister Somsak Prissanananthakul, eight-time Chart Thai MP from Angthong, now a non-MP member of the Bhumjaithai.
Paradorn has been elected three times in 2007, 2011 and 2019 and retained his House seat in the election last year. He was a Chart Thai Pattana member before he followed his father to join the Bhumjaithai before last year’s election..
Paradorn has also served as chairman and deputy chairman of several House committees and he was a coalition whip during the tenure of the previous government.
The source said coalition whips are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to formally agree on giving the post to Paradorn to ensure all coalition MPs vote accordingly during the House meeting on Wednesday.
