PUBLISHED : 21 Aug 2023 at 19:09
The Move Forward Party (MFP) said it would vote against the prime ministerial candidate of the Pheu Thai Party because Pheu Thai was forming a government with military-linked parties.
MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon told reporters at the parliament on Monday that the election-winning party did not base its decision on the prime ministerial candidate of Pheu Thai but on MFP’s standpoint that it would not support the parties of the “uncles”.
He was apparently referring to the Palang Pracharath Party led by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon and the United Thai Nation Party which earlier had caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as its prime ministerial candidate.
Pheu Thai planned to nominate former property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as its candidate during the parliamentary vote for prime minister on Tuesday.
Mr Chaithawat said MFP MPs made the decision after the Pheu Thai Party announced its 11-party coalition.
The coalition led by Pheu Thai clearly included the Palang Pracharath and the United Thai Nation Party that prolonged the power of coupmakers, he said.
That contradicted the decision of most people who showed through the general election that they wanted a different government bloc to end the prolongation of military power, Mr Chaithawat said.
The inter-bloc coalition would not resolve conflicts but was the continuation of a political movement that would not let sovereignty belong to the people, the MFP secretary-general said.