Thai central bank chief tipped for finance minister job

BANGKOK – Thailand’s central bank governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput is among the leading candidates for the role of finance minister in a Cabinet under new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, according to multiple Thai media outlets.

Mr Sethaput, whose five-year term as Bank of Thailand governor ends in September, is one of five non-political figures under consideration for various Cabinet roles, Thai-language newspaper Thansettakij reported, without saying where it got the information.

Mr Ekniti Nitithanprapas, a senior bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry, has also been approached by Mr Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party to head the ministry, The Standard reported.

Neither has accepted the offer, it said.

When asked about Cabinet formation on Sept 5, Mr Anutin told reporters that “everything is ready”.

Mr Sethaput could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular office hours.

Mr Anutin, a conservative politician with royalist credentials, will head a minority government after winning the prime minister vote with the support of the pro-democracy People’s Party – the largest bloc in Parliament. He has promised to call fresh elections within four months of taking office and initiate steps to rewrite the constitution.

Negotiations over Cabinet positions are in full swing and may be settled over the coming days, The Bangkok Post reported.

Mr Supattanapong Punmeechaow, a former energy minister, may return to that role, while veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow is seen as a contender to become foreign minister, the publication said.

Mr Anutin’s coalition includes pro-royalist and conservative parties, some of which previously supported former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for ethical misconduct.

Her removal fractured her coalition and opened the way for Mr Anutin’s rise, capping a week of political upheaval. Bloomberg