Former Narathiwat MP and leader of the Wadah group of southern Muslim politicians Mr Wa Muhamad Noor Matha or Wan Nor was today voted leader of the newly-formed Prachachart Party at a meeting held in Pattani.

Party members and supporters at the meeting at Prince of Songkhla University also voted in an executive committee which includes Pol Gen Thawee Sodsong, former secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, who was also named secretary-general; former Pattani MP Muk Sulaiman, Suraphol Narkvanich, Areepen Utarasin, former presdent of the Football Association of Thailand Worawee Makudee and Pol Lt-Gen Anurut Krisanakaraket among others.

Made up of former southern Muslim MPs and politicians, Wadah group was a faction in the New Aspiration Party of General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh which was dissolved and merged with the Thai Rak Thai Party, predecessor of Pheu Thai Party.

Wan Nor, former transport minister in the government of former prime minister Thaksin Shinatra, claimed that the setting up of Prachachart Party was the wish of people in the southernmost provinces to have their own party to solve problems in the southernmost region.

The meeting today was endorsed by the National Council for Peace and Order, he said as he announced that the party aimed to capture no less than 20 parliamentary seats in the next election.