BANGKOK — The liberal frontrunner for Thailand’s next prime minister said Saturday that if parliament does not endorse him next week, he will withdraw his candidature, following the defeat of his first attempt by military-appointed MPs.
Pita Limjaroenrat’s Move Forward Party (MFP) gained the most seats in the May elections, bolstered by young Thais yearning for progressive reforms following the kingdom’s nine years of army-backed government.
However, senators in parliament rejected the Harvard-educated millionaire’s bid to lead the next administration on Thursday, citing his commitment to amend harsh royal defamation rules as a red line.
Pita said he would endorse a candidate from coalition partner Pheu Thai if he failed to earn the necessary votes in the legislature’s second poll for a new prime minister on Wednesday.
“I’d like to apologise for our failure,” he said in a video message shared to social media.
“I’m willing to give Thailand a chance by allowing the party with the second most votes… to form the coalition.”
Pita fell 51 votes short of the 375 legislators required to approve his candidature on the first ballot.
Only 13 senators supported him, with many objecting to MFP’s commitment to relax the kingdom’s royal defamation rules.
Following the initial ballot, the party ruled out compromising on its proposed changes to the laws, which presently allow convicted detractors of the monarchy to face up to 15 years in prison.
The junta-drafted constitution was used to appoint all 250 senators, which political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak described as a reliable roadblock to the MFP’s reforming stance.
“It is a way for the regime and the authority to stay in power in the long run and to prevent a pro-democracy government from opposing them,” he told AFP on Friday.
Pita asked his fans on Saturday to be “creative” in pushing senators to back him in the next round.
“I can’t change the senators’ minds on my own.” As a result, I’m asking for everyone’s assistance with our endeavour,” he stated.
“Send a message to the senators in every way possible, in any way you can think of.”
Pheu Thai, the MFP’s major coalition partner, is viewed as a vehicle for the Shinawatra political dynasty, which includes two former prime ministers deposed in military coups in 2006 and 2014.
If Pita’s campaign fails again, property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, 60, is largely expected to be Pheu Thai’s nominee for prime minister.
He has been tipped as a potential compromise candidate by business executives among Thailand’s prominent elite.
Pita rode a tsunami of support that saw voters reject nearly a decade of army-backed administration under Prayut Chan-o-cha, who gained power in a 2014 coup.
However, the MFP’s reformist programme has sparked outrage among conservative supporters of the country’s establishment.
The decision on Pita’s candidature came just one day after Thailand’s top electoral board recommended that the Constitutional Court suspend Pita as an MP, adding fuel to senators who were already planning to vote against him.
Pita’s suspension from parliament was recommended by the electoral commission due to suspicions that he violated campaign laws.
The proposal came after an investigation into Pita’s ownership of shares in a media firm, which Thai law prohibits MPs from owning.
The station has not broadcast since 2007, and Pita claims the shares were passed down to him from his father.
In addition, the Constitutional Court has consented to examine a complaint alleging that the MFP’s stance on royal defamation laws amounts to a plot to “overthrow” the constitutional monarchy.
Source: AFP
