Thailand: Eight parties united in upcoming PM vote

With the vote for House Speaker and deputies completed, the parliament of Thailand is heading to the next crucial meeting to vote for Prime Minister. Eight parties holding the majority seats in the lower house said they were united in their decision to vote for Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

The journey for the next Prime Minister and the new government coalition is approaching its critical point, with the parliament now expected to hold a vote for Prime Minister soon, following the vote for House Speaker.

According to Wissanu Krea-ngam, Deputy Prime Minister of the caretaker government, the parliament will now submit the names of persons nominated as House Speaker and two corresponding deputies to His Majesty the King for official proclamation.

Following the proclamation, the House Speaker, whose official title is President of the National Assembly, will then confer with the President of the Senate, to schedule an appropriate date for a National Assembly session, in which members of both the upper and lower houses will vote for Prime Minister. The caretaker government will remain in power until the day on which the new Prime Minister and Cabinet swear in.

The eight parties led by Move Forward party (MFP), who secured the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives, have expressed their unity in the forming of the MFP-led government coalition, with MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat serving as Prime Minister.

Pheu Thai party leader Dr. Chonlanan Srikaew said the eight parties will mutually nominate Pita for the Prime Ministerial vote, and will try to secure the most votes possible to reach the minimum 376 votes required.

Dr Chonlanan stressed that his party does not have a backup plan in place, in case Pita faces major political obstacles. He said the only plan right now is to secure enough votes./.

VNA