BANGKOK - Thailand’s progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which won the most seats in a May 14 general election, will back down from its bid to lead the next government and let runner-up party and ally Pheu Thai Party have its shot at the premiership.
MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat has failed twice in his bid to become the next prime minister, but the party said it has not given up on its aim to form a new government.
“The important thing is not whether Pita becomes PM, but whether democracy can return to Thailand,” said MFP secretary-general Chaitawat Tulathon on Friday, noting that the junta-appointed Senate that has a say in electing the PM and other conservative forces have repeatedly blocked the party’s road to Government House.
He said the MFP will now let coalition partner Pheu Thai take the lead in the eight-party alliance and nominate one of its three PM candidates in the next vote scheduled for next Thursday.
The alliance that hopes to form the post-election government is made up of the MFP with 151 seats, Pheu Thai with 141 seats, and six other parties that together have 20 seats. It accounts for the majority of the elected House of Representatives.
At a press conference with other alliance party leaders on Friday, Pheu Thai – the second-biggest party in the bloc – said the 312-member coalition will need more votes from the Senate to successfully nominate its PM candidate and form the next government.
The candidate must garner majority approval from both the 500-member House of Representatives and the 250-member Senate.
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said the bloc will try to gather more support from senators and discuss their concerns regarding the MFP’s policy to amend Section 112 of the Thai Penal Code that criminalises insult to the monarchy.
Mr Pita, whom the alliance had initially nominated for the premiership, had failed to get enough votes in his first PM bid on July 13. He received a total of 324 votes, with just 13 coming from senators.
He was prepared to try a second time during a sitting on Wednesday, but was denied the opportunity when the majority of Parliament voted against giving him another chance to be elected.
Several senators had voted against Mr Pita, citing their disapproval of the MFP’s intent to change the law forbidding insult to the royal family, which is accorded sacrosanct status in Thailand.
While Pheu Thai said that it would confirm its PM nominee before the vote next week, local reports said that it is likely to be real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin.
The party’s other two candidates are Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra – the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai after being ousted from power in a military coup – and its chief strategist Chaikasem Nitisiri.
If it comes down to it, Pheu Thai could also seek support from “appropriate” parties outside the coalition, said party leaders.
But several non-allied parties, like Bhumjaithai and Palang Pracharath, have said they will not support a coalition that includes a party seeking to amend Section 112, also known as the lese majeste law.
When asked if Pheu Thai will be pressured to break the partnership with the MFP to muster more support, Dr Cholnan said: “What we have announced today is a commitment that we will do our best to support the coalition.”
The MFP was the winner of the May 14 General Election with the most seats in the Lower House. But its anti-establishment policies have faced resistance from conservative and royalist forces.
Besides its plan to amend the controversial lese majeste law, it had also campaigned on progressive policies, such as reforming powerful establishments like the military and monopolised industries.
On Wednesday, Mr Pita was set to make a second attempt to be voted in as prime minister.
But he was dealt a double blow when he was temporarily suspended from MP duties pending a legal case alleging his ownership of shares in a defunct media firm, and was subsequently blocked from the premiership after Parliament denied him a second chance at nomination.
The moves triggered an outcry from groups waiting outside Parliament House on Wednesday. Protesters later gathered at the Democracy Monument, where they held a peaceful rally and called for the senators to resign, for the MFP coalition to remain united, and for the bloc not to go back on its election promises.
Several protests are planned for the coming weekend in Bangkok.
There is also a pending legal case against the MFP, alleging that the party has an intention to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, due to its campaign promise on the lese majeste law. A ruling against the party could lead to its dissolution.
