Lead caretaker party wants to be in next govt

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In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 30 Jul 2023 at 18:35

Lead caretaker party wants to be in next govt
Palang Pracharath Party secretary-general Thamanat Prompow, right, and PPRP deputy leader Santi Prompat greet executives of the Pheu Thai Party when they paid a visit to the Pheu Thai head office on July 23. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)

The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which leads the caretaker government, would accept the chance to join the next coalition government if it is invited, said its secretary-general.

“PPRP’s chance will come when a prime minister is installed and they invite us to join the government,” Thamanat Prompow said on Sunday. He was voted PPRP secretary-general just after its leader Prawit Wongsuwon resigned.

Representatives of PPRP met executives of the Pheu Thai Party last week and PPRP has not been contacted since, Capt Thamanat said.

Pheu Thai is taking the lead in forming the next government after Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), failed to win a parliamentary vote for the prime minister’s post on July 13.

MFP and Pheu Thai are the two key parties in their eight-party coalition alliance which has 312 of 500 House representatives. Their House votes could not make a majority vote when both elected House representatives and 249 military-appointed senators voted for prime minister on July 13.

Asked if any parties outside the eight-party alliance would vote for a prime ministerial candidate from Pheu Thai, Capt Thamanat did not give an answer but said his party would prefer to wait for all factors to become clear first.

He expected clear directions on Tuesday and said a prime minister should be elected on either Friday or Aug 15. He did not elaborate.

Capt Thamanat denied that his return as PPRP’s secretary-general was meant to prepare the party to join the next coalition government. The party was restructured for its own growth, he said.

Asked about the possibility of PPRP working together with Pheu Thai, he said that PPRP MPs were formerly affiliated with Pheu Thai, so PPRP will not have any problem if it joins the next coalition government.

Capt Thamanat was among 21 former PPRP MPs who were expelled from the party. He returned to the party early this year. PPRP won 40 House seats in the May 14 election, coming fourth after MFP, Pheu Thai and the Bhumjaithai Party.