Pol General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a deputy national police chief who also serves as secretary-general of the Narcotics Control Board, has agreed to run as the Pheu Thai Party candidate in the upcoming Bangkok governor's election, according to party sources.
He was approached by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who wanted the media-savvy officer to represent Pheu Thai in the contest for the Bangkok governorship, the sources said.
Thaksin, now in self-imposed exile overseas after fleeing imprisonment for an abuse of power conviction, is believed to be pulling the strings behind the ruling party.
The latest development at Pheu Thai comes amid uncertainty within the Democrat Party about who to field as a candidate in the election early next year. Incumbent Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a Democrat, has publicly announced his intention to seek a second term. "So far, MR Sukhumbhand is the only Democrat to have announced his intention to contest the election," said Charoen Kanthawong, a senior Democrat figure.
There has been no clear decision from the Democrat Party's executive board. Some sources said it was likely that the party would field 60-year-old Sukhumbhand for fear that he would otherwise run as an independent candidate. That would split Democrat supporters and could result in the party's loss in the election. "To prevent a possible conflict and election loss, the party may field MR Sukhumbhand," the source said.
However, another Democrat source said that with Pheu Thai set to field Pongsapat, the Democrats might have to reconsider their candidate. The source noted that the incumbent governor has come under attack following a decision by Fifa, world football's governing body, not to endorse the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's just-completed Bangkok Futsal Arena for use in the ongoing Futsal World Cup tournament.
If the Democrats opt for another candidate, party elders may be asked to persuade Sukhumbhand not to contest the election, according to the source.
Deputy Democrat leader Korn Chatikavanij, a former finance minister and current Bangkok MP, is a likely candidate, the source said. Pheu Thai has opted for a non-politician as its candidate to boost its chance of winning, said a party source. Pongsapat's image and reputation are also expected to win him considerable support from Bangkok voters, the source added. Those qualities led Thaksin to favour Pongsapat in the first place, according to the source, who noted that the deputy police chief has been close to the city's residents and communities since he served as the Royal Thai Police spokesman, and has remained so as Narcotics Control Board chief. "If Pheu Thai fielded a politician in the Bangkok governor race, we would lose 100 per cent. But with Pongsapat as our candidate, we will have a chance of winning," the source said.
Political parties linked to Thaksin do not have strong support in the capital. No Bangkok governor has come from a Thaksin-linked party.
Pongsapat, 56, came top of his class at the Police Cadet Academy and was the first in his class to reach the rank of major-general, at the age of 40.
He is seen as a prominent candidate for national police chief in the future. It is possible he has received assurances that his chances of gaining that position will be improved in exchange for his contesting the governor's election. Earlier, he dismissed reports that he had been approached to become the Pheu Thai candidate.
Although Pongsapat will have to resign his post before contesting the election, he can return to the police force if he fails to get elected.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/11/16/pheu-thai-to-field-pongsapat-in-governor-race/
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