The race for the speaker's post in the new Senate is likely to be a battle between a staunch, outspoken defender of Thaksin Shinawatra and a man who came very close to banishing the caretaker prime minister from politics in 2001.

Leaders of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party and most winners in the Senate election - who have close ties with the party - were considering nominating veteran Samak Sundaravej for the powerful Senate speaker's spot, a source within Thai Rak Thai said yesterday.

Meanwhile, some winners in Bangkok, who declared themselves neutral, reportedly plan to challenge Samak by backing Klanarong Chantik, former secretary-general of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC).

"Samak is the right man for Senate speaker," said the source, who refused to be named. "He is a straightforward person who is unlikely to be influenced by the politics of the day."

The source said Samak would be able to lift the image of the 200-member Upper House, ruined by his predecessors, because of his charisma.

Importantly, Samak's ties with Thai Rak Thai were solid, as he had boldly backed Thaksin Shinawatra during the recent political crisis, which put the premier at risk of losing office, the source said.

Samak came second in the Senate election for Bangkok, where most of the 18 seats went to candidates backed by the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy.

One of the winners in the capital, speaking on condition of anonymity pending the Election Commission's endorsement, said some of Bangkok's new senators were eyeing Klanarong.

The unnamed senator-elect said Klanarong deserved the Senate speaker's post, because of his reputation as a "national graft buster" and the fact he had never bowed to corruption, which had become widespread under the Thaksin administration.

As the new Senate appears to be full of Thai Rak Thai nominees, Klanarong would be the best choice to counter the overwhelming power and bring up some balance back to national politics, he said.

Klanarong, who finished in third place in Bangkok - hot on the heels of Samak -refused to comment on who deserved the post. But he said the Senate speaker needed a good reputation and acceptance from not only the senators, but also the general public.

He is one of Thaksin's fiercest opponents, as he represented the NCCC before the Constitution Court in 2001 to charge the premier with hiding his assets and avoiding public scrutiny. Thaksin held his post by the slimmest of margins when the court ruled 8-7 in favour of Thaksin's innocence.

Samak, a former Bangkok governor, has made clear his pro-government stance on his TV talk shows in the past year. He, along with co-host Dusit Siriwan, continually attacked any party or people that dared challenge Thaksin or the government's policies.

However, Samak sparked a furore among civil groups and anti-government movements in February when he criticised Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda for siding with anti-Thaksin groups.

Samak criticised Prem for choosing to lecture on ethics and public policy management in line with His Majesty the King's initiative at this juncture. He said such a move could be interpreted as an indirect attack on the prime minister - who is still facing widespread calls to step down.

The Thaksin government is believed to back veteran Samak all the way.

Even before Samak announced he would stop hosting his programmes, the government refused to cancel them, despite the widespread uproar.

Meanwhile, political scientist Khien Teeravit said he believed Samak was likely to be selected as Senate speaker, because he had close ties with "a political party".

With his record of assaulting statesman Prem, however, Samak would rather cause problems than create a good atmosphere in the chamber, said Khien.

Jade Thonavanik, a law expert at Siam University, said Klanarong was the best choice for speaker as he was politically neutral.

But he said he thought Samak would win the seat because the former Bangkok governor was backed by a "political party".