The post of finance minister may be offered to former Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul or former deputy transport minister Pailin Chuchottaworn if a cabinet reshuffle takes place, a source at the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) says.
Eighteen members of the party's executive committee quit last Monday to force a leadership contest and selection of a new executive committee within 45 days.
The mass resignation is widely believed to pave the way for Deputy Prime Minister and PPRP chief strategist Prawit Wongsuwon to take the party's helm, replacing Uttama Savanayana who is also finance minister, and push for a "rotation" of cabinet seats among PPRP executives from various factions.
Some believe the economic team which includes Deputy Prime Somkid Jatusripitak and Mr Uttama among others are the targets in the desired cabinet shake-up. After the resignation of the party's 18 executive members, Mr Uttama has now become acting party leader pending the election of a new committee.
The source said Gen Prawit should have been named the party leader from the beginning, though the source denied talk that Gen Prawit would replace Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as prime minister.
Regarding the post of finance minister, the source said key party figures had decided that they would not nominate Deputy Finance Minister Santi Promphat for the post, and would let Gen Prayut make the appointment, with Mr Prasarn and Mr Pailin as potential candidates.
However, the source said most key PPRP figures do not think the pair are suited for the post because from now on the finance minister will have to deal with the massive economic upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That would require people with new ways of thinking to get the country back on track.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin, who is a key member of the Sam Mitr (Three Allies) faction within the PPRP, yesterday insisted that internal conflict would not lead to the disintegration of the party.
Mr Somsak, who was among the members of the executive committee who resigned, said any political party should change its leader within a year of joining a coalition government. He also voiced support for Gen Prawit to become the new leader.
Meanwhile, a recent Super Poll survey showed public support for the coalition government plunged from 39.1% during a House debate on three executive decrees greenlighting 1.9 trillion baht to tackle the impact of the coronavirus outbreak to 20.4% after the decrees were passed and the PPRP executive committee resigned.
Noppadon Kannika, director of Super Poll, said 1,871 people from all walks of life took part in the nationwide poll held on June 1-5.