Thailand Election: Eight-Party Alliance Agrees to Continue Nominating Pita Limjaroenrat as Prime Minister

On July 17, the leader of the March Forward Party (MFP) headed a potential coalition seeking to form a new government in Thailand.

Mr. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of MFP, said that the alliance of 8 parties has agreed to continue to nominate him as the prime minister candidate in the meeting of the Thai National Assembly to elect a new prime minister on July 19.

Previously, in the first round of voting to elect the prime minister on July 13, Mr. Pita was the only candidate nominated and put to a vote in the National Assembly, but he only won 324 votes, below the minimum threshold of 375 votes to be elected the 30th prime minister of Thailand.

Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks to the press in Bangkok on July 13, 2023.

In another development, on the same day, Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn said the issue of whether Mr. Pita is eligible to be re-nominated as prime minister in the upcoming National Assembly vote will be discussed with National Assembly Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on July 18.

Thailand's constitution allows the Senate, consisting of 250 senators appointed by the military (currently 249 senators due to one person's resignation), to jointly elect the prime minister with the House of Representatives.

In the vote on July 13, Mr. Pita only won 13 votes in favor from senators, while 159 senators abstained, 34 senators voted against, and 43 senators did not attend the meeting.

According to VNA

Source link: http://baobacgiang.com.vn/bg/the-gioi/408501/bau-cu-thai-lan-lien-minh-8-dang-nhat-tri-tiep-tuc-de-cu-ong-pita-limjaroenrat-lam-thu-tuong.html