Former Pheu Thai leader Sompong Amornwiwat yesterday announced his resignation from the party, saying internal conflicts and his inability to voice certain opinions left him with no other choice.
Mr Sompong, 84, who automatically loses his party-list seat in parliament as a result of his resignation, said he had already notified the Election Commission (EC).
He insisted that his decision was unrelated to Pheu Thai’s current position as the opposition or to any decline in its popularity. He said he decided to quit due to his frustration with management issues dating back prior to the 2023 general election, as well as the party’s relatively unimpressive record in local and national elections.
Mr Sompong pointed to the party’s poor performance in the upper northern provinces as an example, noting that Chiang Mai, perceived as a Pheu Thai stronghold, secured only two constituency wins in the last polls.
He said he had been responsible for winning more support in the upper North but had seen his influence there steadily decline. The final straw came in the form of candidate selection in Lamphun’s Constituency 1 when the party picked another candidate without considering Mr Sompong’s recommendation, despite the latter having won a strong support base, he said.
Mr Sompong accused senior figures of intervening without proper consultation or polling, saying that when the party’s popularity was in decline, it must be even more thorough in selecting candidates.
He expressed gratitude to former prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, who are siblings, and Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra and other party members, saying he would step back from frontline politics but was still willing to advise younger politicians if asked.