Apirak Ready To Contest Bangkok By-Election

[webfact]

Apirak ready to contest Bangkok by-election

By The Nation on Sunday

Former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin is ready to be a Democrat candidate in the upcoming by-election in Bangkok’s Constituency 2.

Following the report that Prime Minister and party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will select Apirak to contest the upcoming by-election in the capital to replace former Democrat MP Somkietr Xanthavanij, who was one of six MPs disqualified recently because they broke the charter by possessing shares linked to state concessionaires.

Apirak , who is an adviser to the PM, said the party’s panel tasked with selecting the can?didate to contest the upcoming by-election in Bangok will meet on Tuesday and submit a list of candidates to Banyat Bantadtan, who chairs the party’s advisory committee, for a final approval.

“I am also on the party’s panel to select the candidate and I have to join the meeting next week,” he said at the Government House. When asked that whether he is ready to be a candidate or not, he said the panel would make the decision. “So far, there has been no discussion about this issue,” he said.

“There has been no preparation for this by-election. So we have to wait and see the result of the party panel meeting,” he added. He said he did not know about a report that there was an attempt to lobby the panel which made Abhisit dissatisfied with the movement.

“I’ve had no chance to talk to anyone as I also have many things to handle but I’ve heard that the party’s branches have already talked to each other but the party executives will make a decision over the candidate.”

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit will petition to the Election Commission (EC) chairman tomorrow to revise a regulation over advance voting and the designation for the constituency director in a bid to prevent irregularities in the upcoming by-election.

Meanwhile, Surin provincial Election Commission is ready to hold a by-election at Constituency 3 to select a new MP after former Surin MP Maliwan Thanyasakulkij, from the Puea Pandin Party, was dis?qualified by the Constitution Court.

In related development, the Ministry of Interior has moved 69 deputy provincial governors around the country to prepare for an election, a source said yesterday.

Following a report from the Interior Ministry, deputy permanent secretary Khwanchai Wongnitikorn,who is acting permanent secretary, signed a notice to move 69 deputy provincial governors. The order will come into effect on November 29.

Of this number, 29 persons were designated as the acting deputy provincial governors while 40 were appointed as the new deputy provincial governors in other provinces.

-- The Nation 2010-11-14