With the newly elected senators having begun collecting their certificates and reporting for duty, attention has shifted to the contest for Senate Speaker.
There is a lot of talk about attempts to lobby for potential candidates as the next Senate Speaker. Three have emerged so far: ex-4th Army chief Gen Kriangkrai Srirak, ex-Buri Ram governor Mongkol Surasajja and ex-career judge Boonsong Noisopon.
As a former judge, Mr Boonsong, 73, has a robust legal background. He served as an adviser to the second deputy Senate Speaker and was once a member of the Election Commission (EC). He was also a former president of the Court of Appeal Region 7 and a former judge of the Supreme Court.
Kriangkrai: Close ties with Bhumjaithai
Of the three front-runners, Gen Kriangkrai and Mr Mongkol are said to have close ties with the coalition partner Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party. Mr Boonsong is said to be backed by a group of so-called independent senators.
Gen Kriangkrai, who had the most votes in Group 1, is known to have close ties to BJT leader and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. He served as chief adviser to Mr Anutin before he applied to run for a Senate seat.
The 61-year-old former army officer played a key role in the peace talks in the deep South, working with teams headed by Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat and Gen Wallop Raksanoh.
Mr Mongkol, 73, is known to have connections with a powerful "Ban Yai" political family in the northeastern province of Buri Ram. He applied to run for a Senate seat in Buri Ram.
A high-profile interior official, Mr Mongkol was nominated for the interior permanent secretary post but withdrew out of concern about an internal rift. He served in several key posts, including as the director-general of the Interior Ministry's Department of Provincial Administration.
On Thursday, Mr Mongkol declined to comment on speculation that he may be the new Senate Speaker. He said he was new to the senatorial role and needed time to learn the ropes. He also said talk about him being tipped for the post stressed him out.
Sen Chib Jitniyom, who was selected from the mass communication group, said on Thursday the Senate Speaker and the deputies will have challenging work because they will have to deal with laws and regulations that will require maintaining impartiality.
A Senate Speaker with a strong legal background can help guide Senate meetings and contribute significantly to the Senate's work, he said.
"It will help a lot if the post is filled by someone with a legal background because, without experience, legal issues can be perplexing," he said.
Asked about the potential candidates for the post, he said it was too early to say if they were suitable while admitting that his group is considering vying for a deputy post.
Meanwhile, several newly elected senators on Thursday voiced support for a call to have a female senator as one of the speaker's deputies amid reports that a group of 30 senators are planning to vie for the post. Sen Nantana Nantavaropas said the 30 senators who share similar ideologies are forming a group within the Upper House.
It plans to hold talks about the election of the speaker, deputies and chairmen of the Senate committees, she said, adding these key positions should be allocated fairly among 20 senators' groups to ensure work effectiveness.
Boonsong: 'Independent' group backing
Sen Nantana also said the group members who will report for work on Monday share values and ideologies and are independent and committed to driving the people's agenda.
"We'll discuss this matter within our group and consider potential, qualifications and suitability. We'll make a decision in line with the democratic process," she said.
Sen Nuannit Hongwiwat on Thursday backed a proposal that the key positions in the Senate should be allocated to female senators, saying she is ready for the job.
Six senators from Surin arrived at parliament yesterday in the same van to report for work.
They were greeted by BJT MPs Pakorn Mungcharoenporn and Sanong Thepaksornnarong.
On Wednesday, the EC announced the names of the 200 senators-elect who were drawn from 20 professional groups. The names were also listed in the Royal Gazette the same day.
