BANGKOK: Thailand’s Pita Limjaroenrat failed on Thursday (Jul 13) in his initial bid to become Thailand’s next prime minister, after he was unable to secure the required endorsement of more than half of the bicameral parliament.
Pita, leader of election winners Move Forward, was unopposed in the contest but could not muster the required support, with a host of abstentions and votes against him.
Parliament is expected to hold another vote next week, which Pita can contest if nominated again.
Going into Thursday, Pita’s chances of leading an eight-party alliance into government had looked increasingly slim.
Despite being the only prime ministerial candidate nominated in parliament, he faced a big challenge winning the required backing across both Houses.
His alliance holds 312 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives – the lower house of parliament.
But for Pita to become prime minister, he needed the approval from more than half of the combined assembly, which includes the 250-member Senate – the upper house.
Finding those votes proved difficult in the military-appointed Senate, because of Move Forward’s push to reform section 112 of Thailand’s criminal code, which bans defaming or insulting the royal family.
Another hurdle emerged on Wednesday when the election commission recommended that the Constitutional Court disqualify Pita as a lawmaker over a shareholding violation, prompting hundreds of demonstrators to gather in Bangkok to warn of moves afoot to keep Move Forward from power.
The alliance must now decide whether to back Pita again in another vote slated for Jul 19, or put forward another candidate, testing its cohesion as it seeks to form the next government.