With Thailand's prime minister sacked by court order, would-be successors are waging backroom campaigns to secure their rise to the kingdom's top office.

A new leader could be voted in as soon as this week, but only those nominated by their parties as potential premiers in the last election in 2023 are eligible.

A streak of turmoil has seen many relegated, with the list whittled down to just five contenders:

- The Shinawatra's last man -

Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, has spent most of his life in lecture halls and courtrooms, leaping late into politics after retiring as a state prosecutor.

Often photographed on the golf course, the soft-spoken septuagenarian served as justice minister from 2013 to 2014 under prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

He is now the last viable candidate loyal to t

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