Bhumjaithai more focused on poll result
Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul has rejected rumours of any discussions or secret agreements between his party and the Move Forward Party (MFP).
Mr Anutin also denied claims the MFP sought Bhumjaithai’s support for Pita Limjaroenrat, the MFP leader, to assume the role of the next prime minister.
“The possibility of Bhumjaithai negotiating a secret deal with the MFP is zero,” he said.
Even if Newin Chidchob, the de facto leader of Bhumjaithai, was the person in talks with the MFP on behalf of Bhumjaithai as rumoured, he would have shared his opinion about the matter. It would have to be decided by the party’s executives, said Mr Anutin.
“We (Mr Anutin and Mr Newin) talk to each other every single day,” said Mr Anutin.
He added his talks with Mr Newin deal mostly with what the party failed to achieve at the election, a failure that resulted in the party missing its target of a least 80 House seats.
“We have just 72 [MPs], so we’re figuring out what made us fail [in the May 14 election] so we might be able to perform better next time,” he said.
He thought it unlikely that the MFP-led alliance would fail to form a coalition government, opening the way for other parties to form one.
Mr Anutin also insisted Bhumjaithai would not nominate any candidate for House speaker.
Bhumjaithai secretary-general Saksayam Chidchob, meanwhile, dismissed rumours that parties in the caretaker government would nominate Juti Krairiksh and Wittaya Kaewparadai, two veteran MPs of the United Thai Nation Party (UTN), for House speaker.
No such discussions had been conducted among parties in the caretaker government, said Mr Saksayam.
The truth is Bhumjaithai and its coalition partners are still waiting for all of their MPs to formally report to the House, after which a formal discussion about the political situation will begin, he said.
Also, Bhumjaithai is still waiting for the MFP and Pheu Thai Party, the first and second winners of the May 14 election, to finish implementing their agreement to jointly form the new government.
“Bhumjaithai respects the democratic principle which grants this right to the election winners,” he said.
As for Mr Pita’s alleged eligibility to contest the election in connection with his shareholding in iTV Plc, Mr Saksayam said that it remains an unproven allegation at this point.