Introducing Lertsak Patanachayakun, a three-term MP for Loei with wealth exceeding 100 million baht, who was approved by the parliamentary session to serve as the 2nd Deputy Speaker of the House, representing the Pheu Thai Party without any opposition candidates.
On 15 March 2026, following the decision by the executive committee meeting of the Pheu Thai Party, Lertsak Patanachayakun, deputy party leader for Loei province, put himself forward as a candidate for the 2nd Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. The voting for the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of the House began at 09:30 a.m. on the following day after the official opening of the parliamentary session on 14 March, held in the main hall of the Sappaya-Sapasathan parliamentary building.
The Speaker election proceeded with a secret ballot, where MPs entered booths to write and cast their votes. The results showed that Sophon Sarum, MP for Buriram from the Bhumjaithai Party, defeated Pariwat Watcharasinsin, a party-list MP from the People's Party, by 289 votes to 123. There were 80 abstentions and 5 invalid ballots (read more:As expected, Sophon Sarum, Buriram MP from Bhumjaithai, was elected as the 35th Speaker of the House.)
The election then proceeded to the 1st Deputy Speaker position, with Mallika Jiraphanwanich, MP for Lopburi from Bhumjaithai, nominated without opposition, though a vision statement was required, similar to Lertsak Patanachayakun, who was also unopposed. After presenting his vision, he was considered elected as the 2nd Deputy Speaker as expected.
In part of his remarks, Lertsak said, "I want to see the House of Representatives as the people's house, accessible to citizens and allowing their participation in all processes, whether it be complaints, submitting legislation, or as a place for learning. I thank my fellow members for their trust and will do my best to collaborate with everyone to serve the people." (Read more:No surprises: Mallika and Lertsak smoothly elected as Deputy Speakers of the House.)
Lertsak Patanachayakun, nicknamed Pok, was born on 7 July 1971 and will turn 55 in 2026. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Mercer University, USA.
Having been elected as an MP for the third term, Lertsak previously served multiple terms as mayor of Wang Saphung municipality before entering national politics. He has also held membership in several parliamentary committees, including spokesperson for the House Sports Committee and the special committee studying the impact of joining the CPTPP.
Lertsak served multiple terms as mayor of Wang Saphung before entering the electoral arena in 2019 under the Pheu Thai Party banner, when he was elected to the 25th House of Representatives. He was re-elected in the 2023 election for the 26th House and currently serves his third term as Loei MP in the 27th House of Representatives.
He has also held positions such as spokesperson for the House Sports Committee, member of the special committee studying prevention and solutions for rape and sexual abuse in the House, and member of the special committee studying the impact of joining the CPTPP.
Additional reports indicate that the Pheu Thai Party meeting agreed to endorse Lertsak for the position due to his third-term election. According to his asset declaration submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, he has assets totaling over 104 million baht.
