Military Power Broker Poised to Become Thailand Premier

A former army chief who has orchestrated Thai politics for decades both in and out of uniform was set Monday to fulfill his long-held ambition of becoming prime minister.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said a six-party coalition signed a pact to nominate him for the premiership after his New Aspiration Party won a two-seat majority in parliament over its nearest rival in Sunday’s elections.

Since being named defense minister after elections in July 1995, the ambitious Chavalit was often touted as one of the candidates to be the next prime minister.

He was viewed as using the defense portfolio to strengthen his own power base, managing military reshuffles to place officers loyal to him in key positions and supporting big-budget military procurement to keep favor with the armed forces.

Making no secret of his desire to rise to Thailand’s top job, Chavalit said he has been a behind-the-scenes power broker for too long and now wants to become prime minister.