Somsak Kiatsuranont

Who is Somsak Kiatsuranont?

Somsak Kiatsuranont is a Thai politician. He has been serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand who is ex officio also the President of the National Assembly of Thailand, since 3 August 2011.

Somsak Kiatsuranont studied engineering. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the Khon Kaen University, and a Master's degree from the Chulalongkorn University.

Somsak is a Member of Parliament, representing Khon Kaen. In 1997, at the time a member of the New Aspiration Party, he was Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives. During this time, he acquired the nickname "The Hammer Man" for his impartiality in presiding over the House's meetings and intensive use of the presidium's gavel. Later, he was a member of the Thai Rak Thai Party of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which was banned after the 2006 coup d'etat, and transferred into the People's Power Party. In the PPP-led government of Samak Sundaravej, Somsak was Minister of Culture from August to September 2008, and Minister of Justice in Somchai Wongsawat'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 Pheu Thai Party, of which Somsak Kiatsuranont has been the vice chairman since September 2010.