Thai alliance reaffirms backing for Pita's second PM bid
Thailand's parliament votes for a new prime minister
Updated Mon, July 17, 2023
By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat
BANGKOK (Reuters) -An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand's next government reaffirmed its backing for Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister, Pita said on Monday, despite his defeat last week in a parliamentary vote.
Pita, leader of the progressive Move Forward party - the surprise winner of a May 14 election - failed in his initial bid to win the requisite support of more than half of the combined lower house and military-appointed upper house, or Senate.
The legislature will hold another vote on Wednesday.
After a meeting with the alliance, Pita said his re-nomination for prime minister could not be blocked by the Senate.
He also said his candidacy should not be affected by a complaint against him that was filed to the Constitutional Court.
However, Pita added that if he failed again he would let Move Forward's ally, the Pheu Thai party, "take action".
"If there is no substantial improvement, I have to think about this country... I'll step aside and let the second party try to be the manager of the next cabinet," 42-year-old Pita told reporters.
At the weekend, he raised the prospect of a political ally leading the new government if he failed to become prime minister.
Pheu Thai won the second-largest share of votes in May's election. One of its prime ministerial candidates, real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin, could be nominated for the next leader in the third vote for prime minister, if any.
In last week's vote, Pita secured 324 votes, with only 13 senators backing him and the rest voting against him or abstaining, which his party said indicated some were acting under duress.
Pita, a liberal from the private sector, has won huge youth support for his plan to shake up politics and bring reforms to sectors and institutions long considered untouchable.
That includes a law that prohibits insulting the monarchy -by far Move Forward's most contentious policy and a big obstacle in its attempts to persuade legislators to back Pita.
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Alex Richardson)
Thai Pro-Democracy Leader Pita to Take Another Shot at PM Job
Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Mon, July 17, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Thai pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat will attempt a second time to become the nation’s prime minister, after a previous try last week was thwarted by conservative lawmakers and military-appointed senators.
Pita, 42, the leader of the Move Forward Party that emerged as the single-largest party in the May general election, hopes for his support base to increase in the vote due July 19. He had secured 324 nods last week, 51 short of the number needed to secure the premiership.
“The eight-party coalition agreed to nominate me to be Thailand’s 30th prime minister on July 19,” he said after a meeting coalition partners on Monday evening. The allies reaffirmed their support to his candidacy, quelling speculation that there was rift within the group.
His comments came on a day when members of the 250-strong Senate cited parliamentary provisions to say that he can’t run for a second time, which adds a new hurdle for Pita’s attempt at government formation. Any delay in putting in place a new administration will hurt an economy that is already grappling with the effects of a global downturn in demand for goods.
Addressing some senators’ claim that he cannot be nominated again, Pita said a prime minister nomination is different from a motion, which if it fails cannot be raised twice in the same parliamentary session.
The main obstacle to Pita’s bid is the old guards’ opposition to Move Forward’s agenda to amend the lese majeste law, or Article 112 of the Thai criminal code, which penalizes criticism of the king and other royals.
Pita, who Monday reiterated that he won’t back down from that campaign promise, also said he will eventually step aside to let a coalition partner take the lead. That will happen only should he fail in his second attempt, and also if a bill brought by Move Forward to strip the Senate of its voting power fails to be passed.
On Wednesday, Pita will still be the lone candidate for the top job, with the conservatives, including the Palang Pracharath Party, yet to name a candidate to challenge Pita.
The Move Forward party won 151 seats in the May 14 election, making it the biggest winner. Pita cobbled together an alliance of eight parties that hold more than 60% of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. But he still needs the support of senators to reach the minimum 375 combined parliament votes to become prime minister. One senator resigned last week.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court is also due to meet to consider a petition from the poll panel seeking Pita’s disqualification as a lawmaker, because it found he was in breach of election rules.
--With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich and Suttinee Yuvejwattana.
Leader of winning Thai party, rebuffed last week, to try once more to become prime minister
Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party, center. and Leader of Pheu Thai party Chonlanan Srikaew, left , wave to supporters after meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 17, 2023. The top candidate to become Thailand's next prime minister, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who was rebuffed last week by an initial vote of Parliament, declared Monday he will remain a candidate for a second round of ballot but acknowledges he may have to make way for a political ally if he cannot attract substantially more support.
Thailand's parliament votes for a new prime minister
Updated Mon, July 17, 2023
By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat
BANGKOK (Reuters) -An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand's next government reaffirmed its backing for Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister, Pita said on Monday, despite his defeat last week in a parliamentary vote.
Pita, leader of the progressive Move Forward party - the surprise winner of a May 14 election - failed in his initial bid to win the requisite support of more than half of the combined lower house and military-appointed upper house, or Senate.
The legislature will hold another vote on Wednesday.
After a meeting with the alliance, Pita said his re-nomination for prime minister could not be blocked by the Senate.
He also said his candidacy should not be affected by a complaint against him that was filed to the Constitutional Court.
However, Pita added that if he failed again he would let Move Forward's ally, the Pheu Thai party, "take action".
"If there is no substantial improvement, I have to think about this country... I'll step aside and let the second party try to be the manager of the next cabinet," 42-year-old Pita told reporters.
At the weekend, he raised the prospect of a political ally leading the new government if he failed to become prime minister.
Pheu Thai won the second-largest share of votes in May's election. One of its prime ministerial candidates, real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin, could be nominated for the next leader in the third vote for prime minister, if any.
In last week's vote, Pita secured 324 votes, with only 13 senators backing him and the rest voting against him or abstaining, which his party said indicated some were acting under duress.
Pita, a liberal from the private sector, has won huge youth support for his plan to shake up politics and bring reforms to sectors and institutions long considered untouchable.
That includes a law that prohibits insulting the monarchy -by far Move Forward's most contentious policy and a big obstacle in its attempts to persuade legislators to back Pita.
(Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Alex Richardson)
Thai Pro-Democracy Leader Pita to Take Another Shot at PM Job
Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Mon, July 17, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Thai pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat will attempt a second time to become the nation’s prime minister, after a previous try last week was thwarted by conservative lawmakers and military-appointed senators.
Pita, 42, the leader of the Move Forward Party that emerged as the single-largest party in the May general election, hopes for his support base to increase in the vote due July 19. He had secured 324 nods last week, 51 short of the number needed to secure the premiership.
“The eight-party coalition agreed to nominate me to be Thailand’s 30th prime minister on July 19,” he said after a meeting coalition partners on Monday evening. The allies reaffirmed their support to his candidacy, quelling speculation that there was rift within the group.
His comments came on a day when members of the 250-strong Senate cited parliamentary provisions to say that he can’t run for a second time, which adds a new hurdle for Pita’s attempt at government formation. Any delay in putting in place a new administration will hurt an economy that is already grappling with the effects of a global downturn in demand for goods.
Addressing some senators’ claim that he cannot be nominated again, Pita said a prime minister nomination is different from a motion, which if it fails cannot be raised twice in the same parliamentary session.
The main obstacle to Pita’s bid is the old guards’ opposition to Move Forward’s agenda to amend the lese majeste law, or Article 112 of the Thai criminal code, which penalizes criticism of the king and other royals.
Pita, who Monday reiterated that he won’t back down from that campaign promise, also said he will eventually step aside to let a coalition partner take the lead. That will happen only should he fail in his second attempt, and also if a bill brought by Move Forward to strip the Senate of its voting power fails to be passed.
On Wednesday, Pita will still be the lone candidate for the top job, with the conservatives, including the Palang Pracharath Party, yet to name a candidate to challenge Pita.
The Move Forward party won 151 seats in the May 14 election, making it the biggest winner. Pita cobbled together an alliance of eight parties that hold more than 60% of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. But he still needs the support of senators to reach the minimum 375 combined parliament votes to become prime minister. One senator resigned last week.
On Wednesday, the Constitutional Court is also due to meet to consider a petition from the poll panel seeking Pita’s disqualification as a lawmaker, because it found he was in breach of election rules.
--With assistance from Pathom Sangwongwanich and Suttinee Yuvejwattana.
Leader of winning Thai party, rebuffed last week, to try once more to become prime minister
Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward Party, center. and Leader of Pheu Thai party Chonlanan Srikaew, left , wave to supporters after meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, July 17, 2023. The top candidate to become Thailand's next prime minister, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, who was rebuffed last week by an initial vote of Parliament, declared Monday he will remain a candidate for a second round of ballot but acknowledges he may have to make way for a political ally if he cannot attract substantially more support.
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Mon, July 17, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of the progressive party that won a surprise victory in Thailand's May elections said Monday he will make a second bid to become prime minister after being blocked last week by the country's royalist and military establishment. But Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, said he will make way for a political ally if he is unable to attract more support.
Parliament failed last Thursday to confirm Pita as prime minister even though his party captured the most seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. After the polls, Move Forward assembled an eight-party coalition with a combined 312 seats, a clear majority in the lower house, giving it the right to nominate a new prime minister.
However, selection of a new prime minister requires a majority of votes from both the lower house and the 250-seat Senate, which was appointed by the previous military government. Only 13 senators voted for Pita, giving him 324 votes, significantly short of the 376 needed for confirmation.
Many in the Senate, which represents the country’s traditional conservative ruling class, oppose Move Forward's goal of reforming powerful institutions including the monarchy, military and business monopolies.
Pita, a 42-year-old Harvard-educated businessman, declared after meeting with his coalition partners on Monday that when Parliament votes again on Wednesday, “the candidate for prime minister will still be me, for the second time.”
There are doubts that he can secure much more support, and some of his coalition partners have hinted they would like to see him step aside sooner rather than later.
Pita said that “If there is no improvement, no substantial improvement” in the vote, he would let the second-largest party in the coalition take a try at winning the prime minister's post.
That would mean the Pheu Thai party, the latest in a string of parties linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and has long been a target of royalist power holders.
Pita faces another threat to taking power, aside from the defiant senators.
Thai media report that the Constitutional Court will meet Wednesday morning to consider whether to accept a referral from the Election Commission alleging that Pita violated the constitution and should immediately be suspended from Parliament. It accuses him of violating a prohibition on politicians holding shares in a media company. The media company is no longer operating, and Pita says the shares are part of his father’s estate and don’t belong to him.
His supporters see this as the kind of dirty trick that has been used before by the ruling establishment against its challengers. For more than a decade, the ruling elite have repeatedly utilized the courts and nominally independent state agencies such as the Election Commission to issue rulings to cripple or oust political opponents.
Some senators have expressed outrage at the condemnation they have received for blocking Pita’s selection. Shortly after his bid fell through, two trending hashtags on Twitter urged the boycott of businesses associated with those senators and the exposure of their mistresses.
Several senators said they are launching criminal and civil suits to stop actions they said damaged the country and the good values of Thai people.
“It’s time to clearly show that senators will no longer tolerate this,” said Seree Suwanpanont, one of the most vocal opponents of Move Forward and Pita. He vowed to take action against all “those barbarians who just want to say anything they want, defame anyone they want.”
JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Mon, July 17, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of the progressive party that won a surprise victory in Thailand's May elections said Monday he will make a second bid to become prime minister after being blocked last week by the country's royalist and military establishment. But Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, said he will make way for a political ally if he is unable to attract more support.
Parliament failed last Thursday to confirm Pita as prime minister even though his party captured the most seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. After the polls, Move Forward assembled an eight-party coalition with a combined 312 seats, a clear majority in the lower house, giving it the right to nominate a new prime minister.
However, selection of a new prime minister requires a majority of votes from both the lower house and the 250-seat Senate, which was appointed by the previous military government. Only 13 senators voted for Pita, giving him 324 votes, significantly short of the 376 needed for confirmation.
Many in the Senate, which represents the country’s traditional conservative ruling class, oppose Move Forward's goal of reforming powerful institutions including the monarchy, military and business monopolies.
Pita, a 42-year-old Harvard-educated businessman, declared after meeting with his coalition partners on Monday that when Parliament votes again on Wednesday, “the candidate for prime minister will still be me, for the second time.”
There are doubts that he can secure much more support, and some of his coalition partners have hinted they would like to see him step aside sooner rather than later.
Pita said that “If there is no improvement, no substantial improvement” in the vote, he would let the second-largest party in the coalition take a try at winning the prime minister's post.
That would mean the Pheu Thai party, the latest in a string of parties linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and has long been a target of royalist power holders.
Pita faces another threat to taking power, aside from the defiant senators.
Thai media report that the Constitutional Court will meet Wednesday morning to consider whether to accept a referral from the Election Commission alleging that Pita violated the constitution and should immediately be suspended from Parliament. It accuses him of violating a prohibition on politicians holding shares in a media company. The media company is no longer operating, and Pita says the shares are part of his father’s estate and don’t belong to him.
His supporters see this as the kind of dirty trick that has been used before by the ruling establishment against its challengers. For more than a decade, the ruling elite have repeatedly utilized the courts and nominally independent state agencies such as the Election Commission to issue rulings to cripple or oust political opponents.
Some senators have expressed outrage at the condemnation they have received for blocking Pita’s selection. Shortly after his bid fell through, two trending hashtags on Twitter urged the boycott of businesses associated with those senators and the exposure of their mistresses.
Several senators said they are launching criminal and civil suits to stop actions they said damaged the country and the good values of Thai people.
“It’s time to clearly show that senators will no longer tolerate this,” said Seree Suwanpanont, one of the most vocal opponents of Move Forward and Pita. He vowed to take action against all “those barbarians who just want to say anything they want, defame anyone they want.”
Suttinee Yuvejwattana
Sat, July 15, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Pita Limjaroenrat, whose political party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election, should get more chances to secure enough votes from lawmakers and become prime minister, according to an opinion poll.
He was backed by more than 60% of the 1,310 participants nationwide in the July 11-12 survey by the National Institute of Development Administration to be given additional opportunities. About 43.2% in the NIDA poll said coalition parties should continue to nominate Pita until he gets the top job, while 20.7% said he should be proposed as the top candidate one or two more times.
Pita is the sole candidate put forth by the election’s coalition winners to become prime minister. Yet, the 42-year-old leader of Move Forward Party had been thwarted by conservative parties and the military-appointed Senate in his first attempt July 13 to assume the position.
He posted a video message on Saturday, showing his willingness to step aside and let his coalition partner Pheu Thai Party form the next government, should he fail in attempts to secure the top political office. Parliament will meet again on July 19 to elect a new leader.
According to the poll, Pheu Thai’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra has the highest chance to become the next prime minister if Pita fails again to secure enough support. Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, had the nod from 38.6% of survey participants. Srettha Thavisin, another of Pheu Thai’s premier candidates, was second with 35%.
Thursday’s vote undermined the popular choice of the people, who handed an overwhelming victory to pro-democracy parties in the May election. While Pita’s Move Forward and seven of its allies held 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, they were outnumbered in the joint parliament sitting that included members of the Senate.
Thai PM frontrunner says only one more shot at forming govt
AFP
Sat, July 15, 2023
Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May elections but his campaign to lead the next government was knocked back by military-appointed senators
(Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)
The liberal frontrunner to become Thailand's next prime minister said Saturday he would withdraw his candidacy if parliament did not endorse him next week, after military-appointed lawmakers foiled his first attempt.
Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May elections, buoyed by young Thais eager for progressive reforms after nine years of army-backed rule in the kingdom.
But the Harvard-educated millionaire's campaign to lead the next government was knocked back Thursday by senators in parliament who consider his pledge to reform strict royal defamation laws a red line.
The legislature holds its second ballot for a new prime minister on Wednesday, and Pita said he would support a candidate from coalition partner Pheu Thai if he again failed to win the needed votes.
"I'd like to apologise that we haven't succeeded," he said in a video address posted to social media.
"I'm ready to give a chance to Thailand by letting the party that has the second most votes... be the one to form the coalition."
Pita was 51 votes short of the 375 lawmakers he needed to support his candidacy during the first ballot.
Just 13 senators voted for him, with many voicing their opposition to MFP's pledge to soften the kingdom's royal defamation laws.
After the first ballot, the party ruled out compromising on its proposed revisions to the laws, which currently allow convicted critics of the monarchy to be jailed for up to 15 years.
- 'Help with this mission' -
All 250 senators were appointed under the junta-drafted constitution, which political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said was a reliable impediment to MFP's reformist platform.
"It is a way for the authority and the regime to stay in power in the long term and to prevent a pro-democracy government that can stand against them," he told AFP on Friday.
Pita urged his supporters on Saturday to get "creative" in urging senators to throw their support behind him in the next round.
"I alone can't change the senators' mind. Therefore, I ask everybody to help with this mission," he said.
"Send a message to the senators in every way possible, every way you can think of."
The MFP's largest coalition partner Pheu Thai is seen as a vehicle for the Shinawatra political family, whose members include two former prime ministers displaced by military coups in 2006 and 2014.
Property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, 60, is widely tipped to be Pheu Thai's candidate for prime minister if Pita's bid fails again.
Liked by business leaders among Thailand's influential elite, he has been touted as a potential compromise candidate.
- Wave of support -
Pita rode a wave of support that saw voters emphatically reject almost a decade of army-backed rule under Prayut Chan-o-cha, who took power in the 2014 coup.
But the MFP's reformist agenda has drawn strident objections from conservative supporters of the country's establishment.
Thursday's vote on Pita's candidacy came just a day after Thailand's top election body recommended the Constitutional Court suspend Pita as an MP -- providing more fuel for senators already poised to vote against him.
The electoral commission recommended Pita's suspension from parliament over allegations he broke campaign rules.
The recommendation followed a probe into Pita's ownership of shares in a media company, which MPs are prohibited from holding under Thai law.
The station has not broadcast since 2007, and Pita has said the shares were inherited from his father.
The Constitutional Court has also agreed to hear a case alleging that the MFP's position on royal defamation laws is tantamount to a plan to "overthrow" the constitutional monarchy.
The liberal frontrunner to become Thailand's next prime minister said Saturday he would withdraw his candidacy if parliament did not endorse him next week, after military-appointed lawmakers foiled his first attempt.
Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May elections, buoyed by young Thais eager for progressive reforms after nine years of army-backed rule in the kingdom.
But the Harvard-educated millionaire's campaign to lead the next government was knocked back Thursday by senators in parliament who consider his pledge to reform strict royal defamation laws a red line.
The legislature holds its second ballot for a new prime minister on Wednesday, and Pita said he would support a candidate from coalition partner Pheu Thai if he again failed to win the needed votes.
"I'd like to apologise that we haven't succeeded," he said in a video address posted to social media.
"I'm ready to give a chance to Thailand by letting the party that has the second most votes... be the one to form the coalition."
Pita was 51 votes short of the 375 lawmakers he needed to support his candidacy during the first ballot.
Just 13 senators voted for him, with many voicing their opposition to MFP's pledge to soften the kingdom's royal defamation laws.
After the first ballot, the party ruled out compromising on its proposed revisions to the laws, which currently allow convicted critics of the monarchy to be jailed for up to 15 years.
- 'Help with this mission' -
All 250 senators were appointed under the junta-drafted constitution, which political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said was a reliable impediment to MFP's reformist platform.
"It is a way for the authority and the regime to stay in power in the long term and to prevent a pro-democracy government that can stand against them," he told AFP on Friday.
Pita urged his supporters on Saturday to get "creative" in urging senators to throw their support behind him in the next round.
"I alone can't change the senators' mind. Therefore, I ask everybody to help with this mission," he said.
"Send a message to the senators in every way possible, every way you can think of."
The MFP's largest coalition partner Pheu Thai is seen as a vehicle for the Shinawatra political family, whose members include two former prime ministers displaced by military coups in 2006 and 2014.
Property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, 60, is widely tipped to be Pheu Thai's candidate for prime minister if Pita's bid fails again.
Liked by business leaders among Thailand's influential elite, he has been touted as a potential compromise candidate.
- Wave of support -
Pita rode a wave of support that saw voters emphatically reject almost a decade of army-backed rule under Prayut Chan-o-cha, who took power in the 2014 coup.
But the MFP's reformist agenda has drawn strident objections from conservative supporters of the country's establishment.
Thursday's vote on Pita's candidacy came just a day after Thailand's top election body recommended the Constitutional Court suspend Pita as an MP -- providing more fuel for senators already poised to vote against him.
The electoral commission recommended Pita's suspension from parliament over allegations he broke campaign rules.
The recommendation followed a probe into Pita's ownership of shares in a media company, which MPs are prohibited from holding under Thai law.
The station has not broadcast since 2007, and Pita has said the shares were inherited from his father.
The Constitutional Court has also agreed to hear a case alleging that the MFP's position on royal defamation laws is tantamount to a plan to "overthrow" the constitutional monarchy.
Thai prime minister hopeful says he's open to let partner party contend for the job if his bid fails
Supporters of the Move Forward Party protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 14, 2023. The protesters are irate that Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party that placed first in May's general election, failed to be named prime minister by Parliament on Wednesday because only a handful of members from the non-elected Senate gave him their support.
Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Sat, July 15, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand’s frontrunner for prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat said he is willing to step aside and let his coalition partner Pheu Thai Party form the next government, should he fail in his attempts to secure the country’s top political office.
In a video message posted on Saturday, Pita said he will renew his candidacy for prime minister when the parliament meets again on July 19 to elect a new leader, while acknowledging that time was running out for him to secure the top job. The 42-year-old leader of Move Forward Party had been thwarted by conservative parties and the military-appointed Senate in his first attempt July 13, despite being the lone candidate.
Pita urged supporters to help him on his “missions” and try “every way possible and every method imaginable” to convince senators to back his nomination in the second joint sitting of the National Assembly on July 19. His party is separately trying to push through a bill that seeks to strip the Senate of the power to vote.
His message came amid speculation that the conservative Palang Pracharath Party might nominate former army chief Prawit Wongsuwan to challenge Pita next week, in a move that could lead to a minority-led government backed by the royalist military establishment. The prolonged political uncertainty has weighed on the currency, stocks, and bonds in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Thursday’s vote undermined the popular choice of the people, who handed an overwhelming victory to pro-democracy parties in the May election. While Pita’s Move Forward and seven of its allies held 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, they were outnumbered in the joint parliament sitting that included members of the Senate.
Even if Pheu Thai were to stake claim for government formation eventually, the party that finished in the second-place in the May 14 general election will still need to muster enough support from the Senate to succeed. But Pheu Thai may draw less resistance from the conservative senators as its agendas are seen less reform-oriented than Move Forward’s.
Only 13 senators voted for Pita on Thursday, with the rest either abstaining or voting against his candidacy over his party’s push to reform the so-called lese majeste law that punishes anyone defaming or insulting the Thai king or other royals. That proposal was the subject of hours-long deliberation by conservative lawmakers and the reason why they could not support Pita.
“If we have tried our best in these two battlegrounds and it becomes evident that Move Forward Party has no chance at forming the next government, I’m willing to give Thailand a chance by letting Pheu Thai Party take the lead of the eight-party coalition,” he said in the video, adding that every Move Forward lawmaker will vote to endorse a prime minister candidate from Pheu Thai when the time comes.
“But until that day, we’re certainly not giving up,” he said. “I’m asking you to fight together until the end.”
It is not clear who among Pheu Thai’s three candidates for prime minister will be its top choice to take over from Pita if it comes to that. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who hasn’t set foot in the country since 2008, was consistently the country’s most favored prime minister choice in most pre-election surveys. Former property tycoon Srettha Thavisin is another prominent candidate.
Bloomberg Businessweek
Supporters of the Move Forward Party protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, July 14, 2023. The protesters are irate that Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party that placed first in May's general election, failed to be named prime minister by Parliament on Wednesday because only a handful of members from the non-elected Senate gave him their support.
(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Sat, July 15, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s rocky road to naming a new prime minister took a fresh turn Saturday as the candidate who led his party to first place in May’s general election said he is open to bowing out of contention if he cannot win a second round of voting in Parliament.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the 42-year-old leader of the progressive Move Forward Party, said he would be willing to let a coalition partner party field its candidate. However, he indicated the political battling could continue for weeks.
Lawmakers on Thursday failed to confirm Pita as prime minister despite his party's surprising victory in the May polls, when it garnered 151 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. It then assembled an eight-party coalition that together holds 312 seats, a clear majority in the lower house, giving it the right to nominate a prime minister.
To be elected for prime minister, a candidate needs to win a majority of votes in a joint sitting of the lower house and the 250-seat Senate. Thursday's vote to confirm Pita won only 324 votes, significantly short of the 376 needed, largely because he failed to bring enough members of the Senate over to his side.
Move Forward’s coalition leans liberal, with strong support from pro-democracy activists. The Senate’s members, who are not elected but appointed by a military government, represent Thailand’s conservative royalist establishment. They and other opponents of Move Forward cited the party’s proposal for minor reforms to the country’s monarchy system as the reason for rejecting Pita.
A second round of voting is expected on Wednesday.
Pita, in a video posted Saturday on Facebook, said that if it becomes clear his party has no chance of getting its candidate approved, it will hand over the opportunity to the Pheu Thai Party, the second biggest in its coalition, with 141 House seats.
Pita was Move Forward's only candidate while Pheu Thai has floated three names for a possible prime minister: real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin; Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daugther of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a 2006 military coup; and Chaikasem Nitsiri, the party’s chief strategist.
It remained unclear on Saturday which one Pheu Thai would nominate.
Pita said that while Move Forward is committed to form a government as the winner of the election, its struggle goes beyond the 14 million voters who backed the party and the 27 million in all who cast votes for the eight parties in its coalition.
“This is a fight of all people in Thailand," he said. "The voice of the people must be the voice that shapes the future of this country.”
He called for political compromise and said: “We don’t have much time left, as I’m well aware that Thailand cannot go forward for long without a government of the people."
On Friday, Move Forward announced it is seeking to change the law to take away the Senate’s de facto veto power over who can form a new government and submitted a draft amendment to the Constitution.
Pita said Saturday that if all fails, he will step aside to let Pheu Thai take the lead in nominating a prime minister. His coalition would remain intact, according to a memorandum of understanding its members agreed to.
In a statement released after Pita’s video, his party spelled out the next steps. If Pita fails to win outright in a second round, but gains “significantly” more votes, it will have him contest a third round of voting. At the same time, if the second vote does fall short, the party will continue to push for the amendment to get rid of the Senate’s role in selecting a prime minister.
If the amendment succeeds, Pita’s nomination for prime minister will be submitted for another vote, perhaps by September. If that fails, Move Forward will step aside — while remaining in the coalition — to let Pheu Thai submit its candidate for prime minister.
JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Sat, July 15, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s rocky road to naming a new prime minister took a fresh turn Saturday as the candidate who led his party to first place in May’s general election said he is open to bowing out of contention if he cannot win a second round of voting in Parliament.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the 42-year-old leader of the progressive Move Forward Party, said he would be willing to let a coalition partner party field its candidate. However, he indicated the political battling could continue for weeks.
Lawmakers on Thursday failed to confirm Pita as prime minister despite his party's surprising victory in the May polls, when it garnered 151 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. It then assembled an eight-party coalition that together holds 312 seats, a clear majority in the lower house, giving it the right to nominate a prime minister.
To be elected for prime minister, a candidate needs to win a majority of votes in a joint sitting of the lower house and the 250-seat Senate. Thursday's vote to confirm Pita won only 324 votes, significantly short of the 376 needed, largely because he failed to bring enough members of the Senate over to his side.
Move Forward’s coalition leans liberal, with strong support from pro-democracy activists. The Senate’s members, who are not elected but appointed by a military government, represent Thailand’s conservative royalist establishment. They and other opponents of Move Forward cited the party’s proposal for minor reforms to the country’s monarchy system as the reason for rejecting Pita.
A second round of voting is expected on Wednesday.
Pita, in a video posted Saturday on Facebook, said that if it becomes clear his party has no chance of getting its candidate approved, it will hand over the opportunity to the Pheu Thai Party, the second biggest in its coalition, with 141 House seats.
Pita was Move Forward's only candidate while Pheu Thai has floated three names for a possible prime minister: real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin; Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daugther of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a 2006 military coup; and Chaikasem Nitsiri, the party’s chief strategist.
It remained unclear on Saturday which one Pheu Thai would nominate.
Pita said that while Move Forward is committed to form a government as the winner of the election, its struggle goes beyond the 14 million voters who backed the party and the 27 million in all who cast votes for the eight parties in its coalition.
“This is a fight of all people in Thailand," he said. "The voice of the people must be the voice that shapes the future of this country.”
He called for political compromise and said: “We don’t have much time left, as I’m well aware that Thailand cannot go forward for long without a government of the people."
On Friday, Move Forward announced it is seeking to change the law to take away the Senate’s de facto veto power over who can form a new government and submitted a draft amendment to the Constitution.
Pita said Saturday that if all fails, he will step aside to let Pheu Thai take the lead in nominating a prime minister. His coalition would remain intact, according to a memorandum of understanding its members agreed to.
In a statement released after Pita’s video, his party spelled out the next steps. If Pita fails to win outright in a second round, but gains “significantly” more votes, it will have him contest a third round of voting. At the same time, if the second vote does fall short, the party will continue to push for the amendment to get rid of the Senate’s role in selecting a prime minister.
If the amendment succeeds, Pita’s nomination for prime minister will be submitted for another vote, perhaps by September. If that fails, Move Forward will step aside — while remaining in the coalition — to let Pheu Thai submit its candidate for prime minister.
Thai PM Candidate Pita Willing to Let Ally Form Government
Patpicha Tanakasempipat
Sat, July 15, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand’s frontrunner for prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat said he is willing to step aside and let his coalition partner Pheu Thai Party form the next government, should he fail in his attempts to secure the country’s top political office.
In a video message posted on Saturday, Pita said he will renew his candidacy for prime minister when the parliament meets again on July 19 to elect a new leader, while acknowledging that time was running out for him to secure the top job. The 42-year-old leader of Move Forward Party had been thwarted by conservative parties and the military-appointed Senate in his first attempt July 13, despite being the lone candidate.
Pita urged supporters to help him on his “missions” and try “every way possible and every method imaginable” to convince senators to back his nomination in the second joint sitting of the National Assembly on July 19. His party is separately trying to push through a bill that seeks to strip the Senate of the power to vote.
His message came amid speculation that the conservative Palang Pracharath Party might nominate former army chief Prawit Wongsuwan to challenge Pita next week, in a move that could lead to a minority-led government backed by the royalist military establishment. The prolonged political uncertainty has weighed on the currency, stocks, and bonds in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Thursday’s vote undermined the popular choice of the people, who handed an overwhelming victory to pro-democracy parties in the May election. While Pita’s Move Forward and seven of its allies held 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, they were outnumbered in the joint parliament sitting that included members of the Senate.
Even if Pheu Thai were to stake claim for government formation eventually, the party that finished in the second-place in the May 14 general election will still need to muster enough support from the Senate to succeed. But Pheu Thai may draw less resistance from the conservative senators as its agendas are seen less reform-oriented than Move Forward’s.
Only 13 senators voted for Pita on Thursday, with the rest either abstaining or voting against his candidacy over his party’s push to reform the so-called lese majeste law that punishes anyone defaming or insulting the Thai king or other royals. That proposal was the subject of hours-long deliberation by conservative lawmakers and the reason why they could not support Pita.
“If we have tried our best in these two battlegrounds and it becomes evident that Move Forward Party has no chance at forming the next government, I’m willing to give Thailand a chance by letting Pheu Thai Party take the lead of the eight-party coalition,” he said in the video, adding that every Move Forward lawmaker will vote to endorse a prime minister candidate from Pheu Thai when the time comes.
“But until that day, we’re certainly not giving up,” he said. “I’m asking you to fight together until the end.”
It is not clear who among Pheu Thai’s three candidates for prime minister will be its top choice to take over from Pita if it comes to that. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who hasn’t set foot in the country since 2008, was consistently the country’s most favored prime minister choice in most pre-election surveys. Former property tycoon Srettha Thavisin is another prominent candidate.
Bloomberg Businessweek
