PUBLISHED : 19 Jul 2023 at 04:00
No conclusion has yet been reached as to whether Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat can be renominated as prime minister in the second round of voting today, House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said yesterday.
He said the House and Senate whips are divided on the issue, which will be debated in parliament today before the prime ministerial vote is set to take place. The debate on the first issue is expected to take about two hours, after which Mr Wan said he will decide whether he can issue a ruling or another vote should settle the matter.
There are concerns that Mr Pita’s renomination would contravene Article 41 of the House’s regulations which prohibits resubmission in the same parliamentary session of a motion that has already been rejected unless the situation has changed.
However, some argue that selecting a prime minister is not governed by Article 41, which deals with general motions, adding that Section 272 of the charter does not prohibit such a renomination.
Mr Wan said the MFP’s proposal seeking to amend Section 272 to strip the senators of their power to co-select the prime minister was not on the agenda for the pending debate.
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said yesterday that its MPs met and assigned party-list MP Sutin Klungsang to nominate Mr Pita as prime minister in the second round of voting.
“If a parliamentarian proposes a motion suggesting Mr Pita’s renomination goes against Article 41 of the House’s regulations, then we are ready to oppose it,” he said.
Asked what Pheu Thai would do if Mr Pita failed to clear this hurdle, Dr Cholnan said the party would have to clarify the MFP’s position before deciding on its next step. And when asked how many votes Mr Pita would need to earn him a third shot at landing the role, Dr Cholnan said both Pheu Thai and the MFP had not reached a conclusion on this.
“However, Mr Pita said if he were to get an additional 10% of votes … he deserves another chance. But 10% of 324 is about 32, so he must get between 356-360 votes to meet this condition.”
He said Pheu Thai would not make a move in forming a coalition government and announce who it will nominate as prime minister unless the MFP makes a formal statement that it is stepping back.
Mr Pita said he believed the eight parties in the prospective MFP-led coalition would stick together even if he fails to win the required support and lets Pheu Thai take the lead in forming the government.