Chavarat Charnvirakul

Chavarat Charnvirakul
MPCh WMW
ชวรัตน์ ชาญวีรกูล
Chavarat in 2009
Acting Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
2 December 2008 – 17 December 2008
MonarchBhumibol Adulyadej
Preceded bySomchai Wongsawat
Succeeded byAbhisit Vejjajiva
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
In office
24 September 2008 – 16 December 2008
Prime MinisterSomchai Wongsawat
Himself (acting)
Minister of the Interior
In office
20 December 2008 – 6 August 2011
Prime MinisterAbhisit Vejjajiva
Preceded byKowit Wattana
Succeeded byYongyuth Wichaidit
Minister of Public Health
In office
2 August 2008 – 23 September 2008
Prime MinisterSamak Sundaravej
Preceded byChaiya Sasomsub
Succeeded byChalerm Yubamrung
Minister of Social Development and Human Security
In office
24 May 2008 – 2 August 2008
Prime MinisterSamak Sundaravej
Preceded bySutha Chansaeng
Succeeded byAnusorn Wongwan
Leader of the Bhumjaithai Party
In office
14 February 2009 – 3 September 2012
Preceded byPipat Promvaraporn
Succeeded byAnutin Charnvirakul
Personal details
Born (1936-06-07) 7 June 1936 (age 88)
Bangkok, Siam
Political partyBhumjaithai (2009–14)
Other political
affiliations		People's Power (2007–08)
SpouseTassanee Chanweerakul
ChildrenAnutin Charnvirakul
Alma materThammasat University
Signature
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳景鎮[1]
Simplified Chinese陈景镇
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChén Jǐngzhèn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingcan4 ging2 zan3

Chavarat Charnvirakul (Thai: ชวรัตน์ ชาญวีรกูล, RTGS: Chawarat Chanwirakun, Thai pronunciation: [t͡ɕʰá.wá.rát t͡ɕʰaːn.wiː.rá.kun]; born 7 June 1936) is a Thai politician. He had served as an acting prime minister of Thailand as a result of the 2008 Thai political crisis. His family is of Thai Chinese descent with ancestry from Guangdong.[2]

Education

Chavarat graduated from Thammasat University in 1966 with a degree in economics.[3]

Political career

After spending many years in the public sector, he joined the government in 1994 as Deputy Minister of Finance, his tenure lasted till 1997. In 2008 he rejoined the government as Minister of Public Health and later Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand.[3]

On 2 December 2008, the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the People's Power Party and other coalition parties, at the same time banning their chief executives. The incumbent Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, was then removed along with several other members of the Cabinet. Chavarat, however, was the only senior Cabinet figure who was not a party executive and was therefore the only viable candidate. Either the House of Representatives of Thailand had to confirm him as the new Prime Minister, or the new political grouping must vote for a new leader and submit his name for approval.[4]

There has been some questions - even a letter submitted to the Constitutional Court by Senators - concerning the legality of his temporary appointment as Prime Minister (even in a caretaker capacity). This is because the 2007 Constitution of Thailand states that the Prime Minister must be a member of the House of Representatives; Chavarat was not an MP.[5] Chavarat was replaced by Abhisit Vejjajiva on 15 December 2008. He was appointed Minister of Interior of Thailand in the Abhisit cabinet, a post which he held until the government's electoral defeat in 2011. On 14 February 2009, Chavarat became the leader of the Bhumjai Thai Party until 4 September 2012, in which he was succeeded by his son, Anutin Charnvirakul.[citation needed]

Royal decorations

References

  1. ^ Liu, Zhenting (6 July 2009). "塔信勢力逆勢再起". Yazhou Zhoukan.
  2. ^ How Thailand’s Deputy PM Could Score the Top Job—and Redefine the Country’s Politics
  3. ^ a b "Royal Thai Government". The Nation. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  4. ^ Somroutai Sapsomboon (3 December 2008). "Questions arise as dissolutions put electoral system in a vacuum". The Nation. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Senate to forward complaint about caretaker PM's qualification to court this week". Archived from the original on 10 December 2008.
  6. ^ ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ (ชั้นสายสะพาย จำนวน ๔,๒๓๘ ราย)
  7. ^ ราชกิจจานุเบกษา ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ (ชั้นต่ำกว่าสายสะพาย ชั้นสายสะพาย สมาชิกวุฒิสภา เนื่องในวโรกาสพระราชพิธีเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา วันที่ ๕ ธันวาคม ๒๕๓๗)
  8. ^ ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุญาตให้ประดับเครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ต่างประเทศ