Forward Party leader fails to gain enough votes to become Thai Prime Minister
(Baonghean.vn) - On July 13, the leader of the Forward Party, Mr. Pita Limjaroenrat, failed in his first attempt to become the next prime minister of Thailand, after failing to gain enough support from more than half of the country's National Assembly.
According to CNA, Mr. Pita - leader of the elected party, the Forward Party, although having no opponents in this race, failed to gain the necessary support, as many members of the Thai National Assembly abstained and voted against him.
The Thai parliament is scheduled to hold another round of voting next week, and Mr. Pita could try his hand if he is re-nominated.
By July 13, the possibility that Mr. Pita could lead an eight-party coalition into government appeared increasingly slim.
Although he is the only prime ministerial candidate nominated by the Thai parliament, he still faces a huge challenge in gaining the necessary support from both houses.
His coalition currently holds 312 of the 500 seats in the lower house. But for Pita to become prime minister, he needs the approval of more than half of both houses, including the 250-member Senate. That is a tough sell in the military-appointed Senate, where the Forward Party is pushing for reforms to Article 112 of the Thai Penal Code, which prohibits defamation or insult of the monarchy.
Another setback came on July 12, when Thailand’s election commission recommended that the Constitutional Court disqualify Pita from a lawmaker for violating shareholding rules, prompting hundreds of protesters to gather in Bangkok, warning of impending moves to prevent the Go Forward Party from taking power.
The ruling coalition must now decide whether to continue supporting Mr Pita in another vote scheduled for July 19, or nominate another candidate. It will be a test of its cohesion as it tries to form a successor government.
