PUBLISHED : 21 Aug 2023 at 12:56
About 190 senators would vote in support of Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party as prime minister, senator Wanchai Sornsiri said on Monday.
He said Mr Srettha would be comfortably endorsed as prime minister, with support from a majority of the Senate.
Mr Wanchai said he based his projection on conversations with fellow senators over the weekend. A majority, about 190 in total, would vote for Mr Srettha when he is nominated for parliamentary approval on Tuesday.
“They want the country to move forward. Nobody will pose an obstacle to tomorrow’s voting. Some of them may hold different opinons, but that is the way democracy goes,” he said.
On a suggestion that some senators still had doubts about Mr Srettha’s qualifications, Mr Wanchai said this was normal, citing the case of Move Forward Party’s prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, who had both proponents and opponents.
He said some senators and MPs would speak against Mr Srettha on Tuesday, but most senators would certainly vote for him.
The selection of the prime minister is a matter for all 750 members of parliament to decide, not just individuals, Mr Wanchai added.
Asked why he was so certain as many as 190 senators would vote for Mr Srettha, Mr Wanchai said that with the Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation parties being included in the coalition there was no reason for senators not to vote for him.