17-7-2023 (BANGKOK) In a joint decision on Monday evening, eight coalition allies announced their support for Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s renomination as the prime minister for the upcoming second round of voting on Wednesday. However, if Mr. Pita fails to gain significant votes, the Pheu Thai Party will have the opportunity next.
Following a meeting at Thai Summit Tower, Mr. Pita, the leader and prime ministerial candidate of the MFP, stated that the eight parties would officially nominate him as the prime minister during the joint sitting of the elected House and the military-appointed Senate. He clarified that if the votes in his favor do not see a substantial increase, they would step back and allow Pheu Thai to take its turn. The MFP emerged victorious in the May 14 general election with 151 House seats, while Pheu Thai secured 141 seats, making it the first runner-up.
The eight coalition allies disregarded a statement from certain senators suggesting that Mr. Pita could not be renominated due to his failure to obtain a majority vote from the House and Senate on July 13. Mr. Pita explained that the prime ministerial nomination does not fall under the category of a motion, rendering the parliamentary regulation prohibiting the resubmission of a motion irrelevant to the nomination process.
Furthermore, the eight coalition allies clarified that only the MFP proposed the amendment of Section 272 of the constitution, which aims to remove the appointed senators’ right to vote alongside elected representatives for the prime minister. Mr. Pita emphasized that the seven other coalition parties had no involvement in the proposed amendment. The MFP introduced this idea after most senators rejected Mr. Pita’s nomination as prime minister last week. By excluding the 249 senators appointed by the previous military government, the coalition parties, with a total of 312 House seats, would hold the majority vote for the prime minister.
Prior to the meeting, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party expressed that the renomination of Mr. Pita could not continue indefinitely. However, after the meeting, Mr. Pita conveyed his party’s efforts to garner more support from senators and expressed hope for increased votes in his favor on Wednesday.
Mr. Pita reaffirmed his party’s commitment to push for the amendment of the lese majeste law (Section 112 of the Criminal Code), as it was a prominent promise during the election campaign. However, the proposed change faced strong opposition from many senators and representatives, who cited it as a primary reason for not supporting Mr. Pita as the next prime minister.
Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled the third round of the prime ministerial vote for Thursday.
