Pheu Thai party nominates Yodchanan Wongsawat, nephew of ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, as its top candidate for Thailand’s upcoming February election.
BANGKOK: The populist Pheu Thai party has nominated the nephew of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its primary candidate for prime minister.
The party selected biomedical engineering professor Yodchanan Wongsawat as its first-listed candidate for the general election set for 8 February.
Yodchanan, 46, is the son of ex-prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Thaksin’s sister, Yaowapa Wongsawat.
He told reporters that his relation to Thaksin came with the advantage of a singular vision for the people.
Asked about security policy amid deadly border clashes with Cambodia, Yodchanan said sovereignty would be the priority.
The renewed fighting has killed at least 32 people and displaced around 800,000 on both sides, officials said.
Yodchanan entered politics in 2014, running for parliament in the Shinawatra stronghold of Chiang Mai.
He holds a PhD in electrical engineering and teaches at Mahidol University, with patents for medical devices like a brain-controlled wheelchair.
The Shinawatra clan has for two decades been the key foe of Thailand’s pro-military, pro-royalty elite.
Pheu Thai’s other prime minister candidates include party leader Julapun Amornvivat and veteran politician Suriya Jungrungreangkit. – AFP
