Several weeks after the Move Forward Party’s election victory, it is still not certain whether party leader Pita Limjaroenrat will become Thailand’s next prime minister: will he get enough supporting votes? What the public does know for sure is that the prime minister vote will be held at 9:30 a.m. on July 13, 2023.
Move Forward MP Padipat Suntiphada overwhelmingly won the vote for 1st Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He received 312 votes, more than half of the House on July 4. However, prime minister voting will not be so easy, since a senator is involved.
Pita must secure 376 votes, which is two-thirds of the parliament. Measured against the current 312 votes received by the party, it is still 64 votes short.
Second Deputy House Speaker Pichaet Chuamuangpan said on Thursday if Move Forward Party PM candidate Pita fails to get the 376 votes needed to become PM on July 13, a second and even third voting will be held on July 19 and 20.
Many obstacles that prevent Pita
Getting the support of senators is a hurdle for Pita because they were elected by Prayut Chan-o-cha when he was the leader of the coup. Many senators are also royalists and right-wingers who have stated that they will never vote for Pita if the party insists on amending Article 112 to reform the royal family.
Pita still faces legal complaints from the Electoral Commission regarding both Article 112 and the issue of ownership of shares in the ITV television station. Although the ITV television station has not operated as a media company since 2007, the Election Commission has accepted the complaint and will investigate whether Pita knew he was not eligible to be a candidate in the first place.
The Election Commission recently announced a 15-day extension for the investigation, which will begin July 3.
In addition, several opposition sides, both senators and MPs, have made gestures reflecting their hope that the two major parties, Move Forward and Pheu Thai, which have a 10-seat difference in parliament, will split. Some speculate that they might vote for a Pheu Thai candidate, if there is one. Others predict that Pheu Thai will eventually abandon Move Forward and join forces with the Palang Pracharath Party.
Scenario if Pita does not pass the first vote
Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is from the compromise between Move Forward and Pheu Thai, responded to a question about the scenario that Pita would not pass the first vote.
“I firmly believe that if we act appropriately to benefit the people, we will achieve our goals,” Wan Muhamad stated the session would immediately end that day (July 13) and a new session would have to be scheduled until a decision is made. The readiness of the members must be taken into account to ensure full participation of everyone in the meeting.
The new Speaker of the House of Representatives further mentioned that when the new session is scheduled, the Constitution does not prescribe whether the same person or a new person should be nominated. There are only provisions of the Election Commission that state that the candidate must have the required qualifications.
If all the lists of names submitted to the Electoral Commission have failed, the Constitution gives Parliament the option of proposing individuals from outside Parliament, but this process is lengthy and ultimately requires a vote of at least 376 members.
Therefore, it is difficult to make predictions. What is crucial, however, is that we have a prime minister and a cabinet that can effectively govern the country.
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