BANGKOK – The Pheu Thai Party, Thailand’s second-largest party in the lower House today announced a new coalition in its bid to form a government without the Move Forward Party (MFP), as Parliament sits again on Friday.
Pheu Thai, which won 141 seats in the May 14 general election, said it will nominate real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin as its prime ministerial candidate.
Its leader Cholnan Srikaew said the party has consulted MFP, which won 151 seats, to withdraw from the eight-party coalition at a meeting today.
“Pheu Thai and Srettha will not support the amendment of Article 112, or the lese-majeste law, as advocated by MFP.
“The new government will not include MFP. Pheu Thai will try to muster support in bid to form the next government. MFP will be in the opposition,” he said at a press conference today.
He added that the party would announce the new coalition tomorrow.
After the general election, MFP and Pheu Thai formed a coalition with six other parties, collectively securing 312 seats of the 500-seat House of Representatives.
The coalition needs additional support to secure the necessary 375 votes of the 750-member bicameral Parliament to form a government.
Pita Limjaroenrat of MPF failed to muster enough support on July 13 to be elected as the new prime minister.
A procedural vote six days later ruled that he could not be nominated a second time, ending Pita’s quest to be prime minister. Following this, Pheu Thai took over the responsibility to lead the coalition.
Meanwhile, MFP’s secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said the reason given in dropping MFP from the coalition is no more than an excuse to block the party from power.
He said Pheu Thai had never asked MFP to drop its plans to amend the lèse majesté law.
“The old powers do not want to see an MFP-led government,” he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Pheu Thai headquarters in Bangkok to express their anger.
Some protestors poured blood on effigies and set them alight after Pheu Thai excluded MFP from the coalition. – Bernama, August 2, 2023
