Pheu Thai members have elected Sompong Amornwiwat their new leader, and the party plans to bring a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during the current session of parliament.
The Pheu Thai general assembly on Friday endorsed Mr Sompong, filling the void left by the resignation of Pol Lt Gen Viroj Pao-in early this month after the party failed to get any list MPs into the lower house. Pol Lt Gen Viroj stood for election on the party list.
The meeting also elected Anudit Nakhonthap as secretary-general, and 27 other party executives.
Both Mr Sompong and Mr Anudit stood for office unchallenged.
The new 27-strong executive includes 11 MPs. A party source described it as a mixture of a group close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a faction under Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan and a group associated with former executive members led by Phumtham Wechayachai.
Mr Sompong said after his election that the party will keep the coalition government under close scrutiny from day one, when Gen Prayut delivers his policy statement in parliament.
The party planned to call for a no-confidence debate before the parliamentary session ends, he said. Although the individual ministers to be targeted had not yet been decided, the Pheu Thai leader made it clear Gen Prayut would be among them.
