BANGKOK – All eyes are on Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader and prime ministerial candidate for the Move Forward Party after pulling off a stunning victory in the May 14 general election.
The 42-year-old Ivy-league-educated business executive is the front-runner to fill the prime minister’s post.
In a tweet, Pita said “whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you have voted for me or not, I will serve you”.
Preliminary results published by the Election Commission (EC) showed the youth-driven Move Forward Party led by Pita claimed more than 14.2 million votes and scooped up 152 out of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives.
Move Forward Party has the highest number of seats in the House, even marginally edging out Pheu Thai which was seen as the favourite contender.
Pheu Thai, which is linked to Thailand’s self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has won the last five general elections but has been denied the right to govern each time. This time around it won 141 seats.
Last Thursday, an eight-party coalition led by Move Forward Party was formed with 313 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives which has 400 seats for winning constituency candidates and 100 party seats allocated on a proportional representation basis.
The coalition comprises eight parties namely Move Forward which won 152 seats, Pheu Thai (141), Prachachat (nine), Thai Sang Thai (six), Pue Thai Rumphlang (two), Thai Liberal Party, Fair Party, and Plung Sungkom Mai one seat each. The coalition agreed to support Pita as the prime ministerial candidate.
Despite the favourable number, there is no guarantee that the Move Forward Party-led coalition will be able to form a government.
It is not only the 500 newly elected MPs who have a hand in deciding the next prime minister, the 250 senators appointed by Prayuth’s military government after the 2014 coup also have a hand in deciding on the premiership. The difficult path ahead for Pita comes as no surprise as the senators have a record of siding with army-backed parties.
In the 2019 general election, all 250 senators, with the exception of one - the Senate Speaker - voted in favour of Prayuth as the prime minister despite Pheu Thai finishing first in that election.
Bandit Aroman from the International Islamic College Bangkok of Krirk University said Pita would face difficulties in garnering enough votes, as a number of senators have already said that they will not back a party that wanted to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code which has one of the strictest lese-majeste provisions in the world.
“It is a challenging task for the Move Forward-led coalition to secure at least 376 votes out of the total 750 votes in the two-chamber Parliament as the 250 military-appointed Senate would not necessarily vote for Pita for the prime ministership.
“However, if the senators divide their votes it will be favourable, as it will potentially allow Pita to become the prime minister,” he told Bernama.
At present, Bandit said voters consider Pita as one of the top choices for the prime minister’s post and the senate should accept the election result.
“It is the consensus of the people and therefore the Senators should accept the people’s choice,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pita also faces risk of disqualification following a pending case filed with the election commission seeking to disqualify him over 42,000 shares in iTV Plc, a broadcaster that ceased operation in 2017.
Days before the election Ruangkrai Leekitwatana, a candidate from the Palang Pracharath Party, called on the Election Commission (EC) to investigate Pita’s eligibility to contest as the Thai constitution prohibits those holding shares in media companies from contesting in elections.
Pita has clarified the shares were left by his late father who passed away in 2006, which he was tasked to manage.
Move Forward’s predecessor Future Forward was dissolved a year after the 2019 election when its leader Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit was disqualified from the House of Representatives due to a clause in the election law that bars candidates from holding shares in a media company.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Pheu Thai with the second highest number of seats in the House may form the next government without Move Forward Party.
He said a coalition shift towards Pheu Thai Party will help overcome past polarisation and acknowledge the potential for changes.
Abhisit expressed his worries if Pita and Move Forward Party failed to form the government there would be strong reaction from voters.
“Move Forward Party only submitted one prime ministerial candidate. If Pita is disqualified, then the coalition needs to look for another candidate from Pheu Thai that has the second highest number of seats in the House,” he said.
Pheu Thai named three prime ministerial candidates -Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, the youngest daughter of self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha Thavisin and Chaikasem Nitisiri.
Political observers predict that the coalition led by Pheu Thai, potentially including partners from the outgoing government like the Bhumjaithai Party and Palang Pracharath Party, will receive support from senators.
On Monday, the alliance led by Move Forward signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines the policy plans and priorities of the proposed coalition. The 23-point MoU serves as a framework to seek support from the legislators in forming a government.
The coalition agreed to draft a new constitution, pass Marriage Equality Act to ensure equal rights for all couples, reclassify marijuana as a controlled substance, abolish monopolies and promote fair competition in all industries.
However, the MoU has no mention of amending the lese majeste law, which was among the campaign pledge by Move Forward Party.
The MoU also affirmed the kingdom’s “status as a democratic state under a constitutional monarchy framework, and the inviolable status of the monarch”.
Will this move potentially alleviate concern among senators and bolster support for Pita in securing votes during the upcoming prime minister selection next month?
The Parliament is scheduled to convene its first session on July 25, with a joint sitting planned for the first week of August to elect the prime minister. – Bernama, May 24, 2023
