PUBLISHED : 21 Jul 2023 at 15:37
The Pheu Thai Party will seek support from the Senate and other political parties outside the existing eight-party alliance, with an aim to secure enough votes to back its prime ministerial candidate in the upcoming joint parliamentary session on July 27, the party said in a statement issued on Friday afternoon.
The decision came after the Move Forward Party (MFP) earlier on Friday announced it would allow Pheu Thai to form a government and would also nominate a Pheu Thai candidate for the prime minister’s post.
In the statement, Pheu Thai thanked Move Forward for passing on the responsibility to form the government and said it would first consult with the eight parties in the current alliance to exchange opinions and lay down a plan for the government formation.
Pheu Thai is of the opinion that under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the eight parties, they have a total of 312 votes in total in the House of Representatives.
However, to secure a majority in the full parliament by having at least 375 votes, the eight parties need additional support, as they failed to obtain enough votes from the Senate to endorse MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister due to the obstruction caused by Section 112 of the Criminal Code, or the lese majeste law.
To overcome this hurdle, Pheu Thai said it now intends to approach the Senate and other parties outside its existing alliance to garner the necessary support and finally establish a government.
According to the statement, Pheu Thai will keep its alliance and the public informed of their progress and activities.