14-7-2023 (BANGKOK) The Move Forward Party (MFP) should propose draft legislation to abolish Section 272 of the constitution, according to Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, Secretary-General of the Progressive Movement behind the MFP. This section gives junta-appointed senators the power to join MPs in selecting the prime minister. He made the comments following the failure of Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister. The Move Forward leader received 324 votes in favour, 182 against, and 199 abstentions, leaving him 51 votes short of his target. Of the 324 votes in support, only 13 were from senators.
Piyabutr stated that it would be difficult for these senators to change their minds and vote for Mr Pita in the future. The reason for this is that a large number of senators appointed by the previous military government opposed Mr Pita’s nomination for a variety of reasons, including the Move Forward Party’s intention to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law.
Piyabutr believes that Move Forward will not succeed in the vote until the senators’ power to vote for prime minister under Section 272 expires in May next year. If the MFP’s attempt to abolish Section 272 is not successful, Piyabutr suggests the party should consider backing down from its bid to form a government with Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister and instead take the opposition role and wait patiently for a successful return “tomorrow.”
Move Forward, with its 151 MPs, should propose a draft bill seeking to abolish Section 272 of the constitution, to rid the senators of the power to vote for the prime minister, according to Parit Wacharasindhu, a Move Forward party-list MP. The draft bill should be submitted for deliberation by parliament as soon as possible. If the bill is rejected by parliament, the Move Forward Party can tell the people that it tried its best but faced tough obstacles. It would then be time for the party to move out, Piyabutr said.
The MFP’s aim is to abolish Section 112, which is the law against insulting the monarch, and it has made it a policy in its campaign for votes. However, opposition by senators from the Bhumjaithai, Democrat, and Chartthaipattana parties has made it challenging for MFP to gain support.
