Thailand's ruling party picks veteran kingmaker Prawit as PM candidate

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan arrives before a family photo session with new cabinet ministers at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, March 30, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's ruling pro-military Palang Pracharat party has chosen political veteran and former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its prime minister candidate, a senior official said on Friday, as parties gear up for an election that must be held by May.

Prawit, an adept political dealmaker in Thailand's conservative establishment and current deputy prime minister, will likely go against the Pheu Thai Party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of self-exiled former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, who has declared her readiness for the top job.