BANGKOK – Thailand’s central bank governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput is a frontrunner for finance minister in the Cabinet formation under new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, according to multiple Thai media reports.
Sethaput, whose term as Bank of Thailand governor ends this September, is one of five non-political figures being considered for various ministerial roles. Senior Finance Ministry bureaucrat Ekniti Nitithanprapas has also been approached by Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party for the finance portfolio, though neither has confirmed acceptance.
Anutin, who will lead a minority government with the support of the pro-democracy People’s Party, indicated the Cabinet formation was nearly complete. Other key contenders for ministerial posts include former energy minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, expected to return to that role, and veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow for foreign affairs.
The new coalition consists of royalist and conservative parties, some with past ties to ousted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose removal has sparked a recent political shakeup that paved the way for Anutin’s premiership. Negotiations over the Cabinet lineup continue as Anutin prepares to fulfill promises of fresh elections and constitutional reform soon.