By Ago Yusuf
Against all expectations, the Move Forward Party, MFP, leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, whose party won the May 14 national elections, lost his bid to be Thailand’s Prime Minister after he failed to secure a simple majority in votes cast by the nation’s parliamentarians.
The leader of the progressive party was expected to get more than half of the 749 votes from both the Senate and the House of Representatives but at the end of the tally he was 51 votes short.
Despite been the sole candidate for the elections, Mr. Pita Limjaroenrat needed to win at least a simple majority of the votes cast but he only managed to win 324 votes instead of the 375 votes he required to form a government.
The result was especially shocking because Mr. Pita’s eight-party alliance already controls 312 seats in the lower house. Among the 705 legislators that voted however, the 42 year old progressive who got was 324 votes in his favour, had 182 votes against him and 199 abstentions.
His failure to win the required votes from the combined House and Senate seats means that the Move Forward Party (MFP) leader would need to re-strategise to gather the required support to win the next vote, which is expected to be held next week.
He was was unopposed in Thursday’s contest, but could not muster the required support from Thailand’s 749-member bicameral legislature, with a host of abstentions and votes against him.
When voting concluded, Pita had won 323 votes, including 13 from the 249-member conservative-leaning upper house, which was appointed by the military after a coup in 2014.
Many senators are opposed to Move Forward’s anti-establishment agenda, which includes a controversial plan to amend a law that bans insulting the monarchy.
The vote on Thursday marked a pivotal moment for Thailand in the aftermath of Move Forward’s shock election success in the May 14 general election and raises fears of renewed political instability in a country that has seen more than a dozen military coups in the past century.Video
Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said second and third rounds of voting would take place on July 19 and 20 although it was not immediately clear if the name of the Move Forward leader will be put forward again on one or both occasions.
“We accept the result, but we are not retreating,” Mr Pita told reporters shortly after the results were announced. “The result was not what we expected. We will work hard to gather support for the next vote. I will strategise again to make sure next time we get the votes needed.
We will not change our policies, we must keep our promise to the people,” he added.
The voting at the joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate followed six hours of debate on the qualifications of Mr Pita, the sole candidate.
Parliamentarians mainly discussed controversies concerning the intention of the MFP to change Section 112, or the lese-majeste law, and Mr Pita’s shareholding in iTV Plc. The constitution bans any media organisation shareholder from running in a general election.
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Thursday’s defeat in parliament was the latest blow dealt to the politician and his party by the conservative establishment, with Thailand’s Constitutional Court taking up two legal complaints against them on the eve of the election.
The court agreed on Wednesday to review a complaint against Move Forward over its plan to amend the law that prohibits insulting the monarchy.
The announcement came just hours after the election commission also recommended that the court disqualify Pita from parliament.
The recommendation followed a probe into Pita’s ownership of shares in a media company which is against the law as politicians are not allowed to own media shares. Mr. Pita has defended himself against this allegation in several fora by saying the station has not broadcasted since 2007 and his shares were inherited from his father.
“Legislators will reconvene next Wednesday and Thursday if necessary to hold a new vote. All indications show Pita’s name will be re-submitted if he hasn’t been disqualified by then. He is facing legal challenges that could see him removed as a member of parliament,” said a source in Bangkok.
“His supporters have said that they see these cases as an attempt to block his bid to become prime minister, but what we do expect from now until next Wednesday is Pita’s coalition of eight parties will likely be conducting negotiations, reaching out to members of parliament and to senators in a bid to get them to vote for [him],” the source added.
Pundits worry that the development may lead to weeks of deadlock and economic uncertainty in Thailand.
