BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand’s cabinet on Tuesday appointed the government-backed candidate Somchai Sujjapongse as the new chair of the board of the Bank of Thailand, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said.
The central bank board chair has no direct say in monetary policy but heads the board that picks four members to sit on the monetary policy committee with the governor and two deputy governors.
A new central bank governor will be selected this year.
The appointment of Somchai, a former finance ministry permanent secretary, comes after a failed effort to appoint a ruling Pheu Thai Party loyalist to the position last year, which followed concerns among economists and former central bank governors about the potential for political interference.
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon; Editing by Martin Petty)
