Somsak Kiatsuranont ( th, สมศักดิ์ เกียรติสุรนนท์, , ; born 27 June 1954 in

Khon Kaen Khon Kaen ( th, ขอนแก่น, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, also known as the "big four of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is the capital of Khon Kaen province and ...

) is a Thai politician of the

Pheu Thai Party The Pheu Thai Party (PTP; th, พรรคเพื่อไทย, lit=For Thais Party, , ) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 Septemb ...

. He served as the Speaker of the

House of Representatives of Thailand The House of Representatives ( th, สภาผู้แทนราษฎร; ; ) is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a constitu ...

, also the

President of the National Assembly of Thailand The President of the National Assembly ( th, ประธานรัฐสภา; ; ) is the presiding officer (speaker) of the National Assembly of Thailand. Since 1997, the office has been an ''ex officio'' position occupied by the Speaker of ...

''ex officio'', from 3 August 2011 until 9 December 2013.

Education

Somsak Kiatsuranont studied engineering. He holds a bachelor's degree from

Khon Kaen University Khon Kaen University ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยขอนแก่น) or KKU (มข.) is a public research university, and it is one of the most prestigious universities in Thailand. The university was the first institution of highe ...

, and a master's degree from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

Political career

Somsak began his political career as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

representing Khon Kaen. In 1997, at the time a member of the

New Aspiration Party The New Aspiration Party (''Phak Khwam Wang Mai th, พรรคความหวังใหม่'') is a political party in Thailand. The party was established in 1990 by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh after his retirement as Commander-In-Chie ...

, he was Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives. During this time, he acquired the nickname "The Hammer Man" ("ขุนค้อน") for his impartiality in presiding over the House's meetings and intensive use of the presidium's

gavel A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle. It can be used to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations and is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially in the ...

. Later, he was a member of the

Thai Rak Thai Party The Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT; th, พรรคไทยรักไทย, , ; "Thais Love Thais Party") was a Thai political party founded in 1998. From 2001 to 2006, it was the ruling party under its founder, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat ...

of Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, ...

, which was banned after the 2006 coup d'etat, and transferred into the People's Power Party (PPP). In the PPP-led government of

Samak Sundaravej Samak Sundaravej ( th, สมัคร สุนทรเวช, , ; 13 June 1935 – 24 November 2009) was a Thai politician who briefly served as the Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Defense in 2008, as well as the leader of the Peo ...

, Somsak was

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizatio ...

from August to September 2008, and

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Somchai Wongsawat Somchai Wongsawat ( th, สมชาย วงศ์สวัสดิ์, ; born 31 August 1947) is a Thai politician who was the prime minister of Thailand in 2008 and a former executive member of the People's Power Party (PPP) whose polit ...

's cabinet from September to December 2008. Then, the PPP suffered the same fate as the Thai Rak Thai, and was dissolved by the Constitutional Court, but was revived as the

, of which Somsak Kiatsuranont has been the vice chairman since September 2010. After the Pheu Thai Party won the 2011 general election, Somsak Kiatsuranont was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives on 2 August 2011. Somsak who exercised restraint during the

2010 Thai political protests The 2010 Thai political protests were a series of political protests that were organised by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) (also known as "Red Shirts (Thailand), Red Shirts") in Bangkok, Thailand from 12 March–19 M ...

, is considered to be also acceptable for the parliamentary opposition. The Democrat Party did not field an opposing candidate. He was formally approved by the king on 3 August.

Honours

*: ** Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

** Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiatsuranont, Somsak Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont 1954 births Living people Somsak Kiatsuranont Somsak Kiatsuranont