• 
• 

Published on December 24, 2007

Suwit, earlier considered an outside chance to be premier, seemed set for a defeat in Khon Kaen's Constituency 3, trailing the third-placed candidate by about 5,000 votes.

Puea Pandin was expected to overtake Chart Thai Party and come third in the election, but appeared set to win only 24 instead of 40-50 as predicted.

Suwit disappeared in the evening and was not contactable. He was rumoured to have met with Privy Council head General Prem Tinsulanonda, but a party spokesman denied this.

Prachai left the Matchima Party headquarters after unofficial results showed he failed to get elected as a party-list MP in Zone 6, which covers Bangkok and surrounding areas.

Matchima secretary-general Anongwan Thepsuthin, wife of former minister Somsak Thepsuthin, said she feared she had lost and blamed negative publicity about her party and a new poll system that she claimed confused constituents.

"They thought if they voted the number of the party, they would get Prachai as their MP [instead of me]," she said.

Prachai and Somsak have had a conflict over the party leadership. Anongwan was Matchima's party-list candidate in Zone 1.

Prachai and Somsak have had internal infighting over who would the party.

Despite strong support from party leader Banharn Silapa-archa, Janista lost the election in Bangok's constituency 5, which covers Don Mueang, Sai Mai and Bang Khen districts.

People Power Party candidate Yuranant Pamornmantri, an actor who served several terms as a Bangkok MP, lost in the capital's Constituency 3, as did fellow party candidate singer Arisma Pongruangrong in Constituency 12

Pracharaj Party deputy leader Sombat Methanee, who placed sixth in a race for 18 seats in the previous senatorial election, lost in his bid to get elected as a party-list candidate yesterday.

Meanwhile, Premsak Piayura, a Thai Rak Thai rebel who ended several years in the monkhood to contest this election as a Chart Thai candidate, lost in Khon Kaen.

Phochana Phichitsiri

The Nation