Candidate does not have to be in parliament for vote
PUBLISHED : 14 Aug 2023 at 17:20
Pheu Thai will propose Srettha Thavisin for prime minister, expects he will immediately get all the support he needs, and he does not have to attend the joint sitting of parliament that will vote on his nomination, according to party secretary-general Prasert Chanthararuangthong.
Mr Prasert said on Monday that key party figures had agreed and confirmed that Mr Srettha would be their candidate for prime minister.
He dismissed speculation that Paetongtarn Shinawatra, another of the party’s three registered candidates, could be nominated to the parliament instead of Mr Srettha. Ms Paetongtarn is a daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
“The members of the House of Representatives who will support Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate should number about 270. The support of the Senate is also being requested. I believe that many senators will support the candidate of Pheu Thai,” the party secretary-general said.
“So, I am confident that Mr Srettha will be elected right away.”
The constitution requires a joint vote by the 500 House representatives and 250 senators to select the prime minister.
Mr Prasert confirmed that Pheu Thai would be happy to receive supporting votes from all political parties, including the two political parties linked to caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.
Asked to comment on some senators’ demand that Mr Srettha elaborate on his qualifications in the parliament, Mr Prasert said that Mr Srettha was not an MP and so he was not required to be in the parliament when it votes for a prime minister.
Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said that he may reconvene the joint sitting of the House and the Senate either on Friday this week or Tuesday next week, for their vote for prime minister.
He preferred to first wait for a ruling from the Constitutional Court, expected on Wednesday, on the parliament’s resolution rejecting the renomination of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister on July 19.