The parliamentary session for the vote of Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister on July 13 became a platform for discussing amendments to Section 112 of the Criminal Code or Article 112 on the monarchy.
The majority of opposition members were senators and MPs of the former ruling coalition. Many declare they are royalists. They specifically accused the Move Forward party of attempting to undermine and dismantle the monarchy by amending Article 112.
At the end of the session, Pita could not get enough votes to reach 376 of the bicameral votes. The results of the vote came out with 324 approved, 182 disapproved, and 199 abstained. Only 13 junta-appointed senators out of 250 voted for Pita, while 43 did not show up.
This outcome was not unexpected, since several senators and members of parliament who are royalists and on the right have stated that they will never vote for Pita if it persists on amending Article 112.
The session on Thursday began at 10:00 a.m. with the proposal of Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward party, as a candidate for the post of Thailand’s new prime minister by Chonlanan Srikaew, leader of the Pheu Thai party, which was involved in forming the government. Several deputies and senators then took the floor.
All speakers who are not involved in forming the government criticized Pita and the Move Forward party for strict adherence to Article 112 of the law, and few people mentioned the issue of Pita’s ownership of ITV shares, which is currently being considered by the Constitutional Court.
Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, a senator, one of the speakers, criticized the amendment to Article 112 on the grounds that it would lead to defamation and unfair criticism on social media platforms. He argued that this would be tantamount to amending the constitutional provision protecting the monarchy, which could lead to blasphemy and charges against anyone accused under Article 112. This, in turn, would undermine respect for institutions that should not be violated by others.
Pita requested the right to refute and dispute the allegations made by Kamnoon and other members. He clarified that the issue of amending Article 112 was not discussed in the MOU of the 8-party agreement.
The 8-Party Agreement was formed to enter the executive branch, while legislative amendments were the responsibility of the legislative branch. He stressed that the meeting was primarily about the election of the prime minister and not about legislative changes. Nevertheless, he declared his willingness to listen and be patient.
“The good leaders of this country must have patience, restraint, and the ability to listen to accusations, whether true or false. If we communicate with dignity, without using vulgar language, and use causes to achieve results, this is the way out for the country in any conflict that arises,” Pita explained.
Pita further expressed that he has comprehensive qualifications in all fields. He has self-control and has submitted qualifications for consideration by the Election Commission from the time he first ran for MP until now and will continue to do so in the future, unlike someone who has never done this.
Although he did not name names, it is safe to assume that he was referring to General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has not undergone such scrutiny either by the National Anti-Corruption Commission or the Election Commission.
However, it seems that most senators have not accepted his reason.
Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives said earlier if Move Forward Party PM candidate Pita failed to get the 376 votes needed to become PM on July 13, a second voting will be held on July 19. There is no limit that the majority party would nominate Pita again.
Pita said he accepted the outcome but would not give up. His team would spend time strategizing on how to obtain more votes next time. He also stated that the MFP would stick to its original proposal to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code and would form a government with the Pheu Thai Party.
Outside the parliament building, police have installed barbed wire and metal sheets to block protesters from accessing a pedestrian overpass at Kiak Kai Intersection next to the parliament shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, the day of the bicameral vote for the new PM.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Police announced a ban on gatherings around the Parliament Building within a radius of no more than 50 meters from 06:00 am on July 12 until 00:00 midnight on July 15.
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