Bid to curb Senate power faces uphill battle
Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat says he will step aside and allow Pheu Thai to take the lead in forming a government if he fails to secure enough support in parliament to become prime minister in the second round of voting and curb Senate power in co-electing a PM.
He made the comment via a video clip on his official Twitter page yesterday as the eight prospective coalition parties prepared for a meeting on Tuesday to decide their next steps.
The main topic of discussion will be whether to renominate Mr Pita for the prime minister post in parliament this Wednesday after he fell short of securing a majority during his first try last Thursday.
“We have a few chances left to fight together in two battles for the establishment of a government in accordance with the people’s mandate,” Mr Pita wrote.
“The first battle […] is the vote for the prime minister [position] on July 19, and the second is the proposed amendment to Section 272 of the constitution to remove senate power in choosing a prime minister forever.
“Both battles will never be won if we cannot change the minds of senators to be on the side of the people.
“If we do our best in these two battles, and it is clear that the Move Forward Party does not have a chance to lead the forming of a government, I am ready to open the way for the Pheu Thai Party to become the leader in establishing a government of the eight coalition parties under the MoU we made together.
“All the MPs from the Move Forward Party are ready to support Pheu Thai’s prime minister candidate.
“But until that day we won’t give up,” Mr Pita said.
On Friday, the MFP submitted a proposal to parliament, seeking to scrap Section 272 of the charter, which allows the 250-member Senate to join MPs in selecting a prime minister.
The move came a day after Mr Pita failed to muster enough support to back his bid to land the job. It is the seventh attempt to strip the Senate of the power to co-elect a PM to date.
However, observers doubted the MFP’s efforts would bear fruit as the proposal faces a major hurdle — a requirement for the approval of both senators and MPs.
At least one-third of senators, or about 84, must give it the nod.
Key Pheu Thai and MFP figures held talks on Friday night to discuss the second round of the voting and evaluate the situation, said a source at the eight-party coalition.
During the talks, MFP and Pheu Thai strategists discussed an issue raised by some parliamentarians, as to whether the same motion regarding Mr Pita’s nomination could be resubmitted to parliament on Wednesday.
They evaluated what the senators might do at the next meeting, and also whether the parties from the outgoing government might nominate a PM candidate.
The meeting did not decide whether the coalition would renominate Mr Pita, said the source, pending talks with other coalition partners.
Pheu Thai also reportedly disagreed with MFP’s move to amend Section 272 and strip the senators of their power to co-select the prime minister. Doing so would be an uphill task because a motion on this issue requires at least 84 votes from the Senate.
Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong said the conclusion reached at the meeting of the coalition parties on Tuesday will be relayed to a meeting of Pheu Thai MPs later that same day.
He also said that House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha met with legal experts for talks on whether the motion regarding Mr Pita’s nomination can be resubmitted to parliament.
Asked if Pheu Thai will nominate Mr Pita for the vote, Mr Prasert said the party must comply with the decision reached by the eight parties and must also wait for the outcome of the meeting chaired by Mr Wan.
A source at Pheu Thai said the party would nominate Srettha Thavisin, one of the party’s three prime ministerial candidates, for the PM vote on Thursday if Mr Pita failed on his second try.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a potential Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister, is not ready to be nominated, the source said.
Mr Srettha refused to comment on the matter yesterday.