Jakarta –
Reformist Pita Limjaroenrat failed to become the 30th Prime Minister (PM) of Thailand even though his party, the Move Forward Party, won the election. Pita failed to get the 375 parliamentary votes required to become prime minister.
Reporting from AFP, after hours of discussion and a very fast voting process, Pita failed to get 375 parliamentary votes.
It is known that Limjaroenrat was an opposition figure who rejected the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha. Prayut Chan-o-cha took power in an army-backed coup in 2014.
Conservative lower house lawmakers and junta-appointed senators will not provide him with support for Pita to become prime minister.
“I’m not giving up,” he told reporters immediately after the vote, adding that he accepted the first round defeat but would strategize to win the second round.
Under Thai rules, parliament will continue to vote until a prime minister is elected. Local media reported that the next vote would be held on July 19.
It is known, the Move Forward Party, which is massively supported by young Thai voters because of its bold reform plans, was able to surprise in the May 14 elections. The party led by Pita succeeded in defeating the Pheu Thai Party, which was also widely favored by the public, with a margin of 10 seats.
The Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party, which are the opposition strongholds, succeeded in getting rid of their rivals who were allied with the military camp. The result was widely seen as an extraordinary public rejection of nine years of military-backed Thai rule.
Not only that, after winning the election, the Move Forward Party also succeeded in forming a coalition of eight parties, including the Pheu Thai Party which finished second in the last election, which has a total of 312 seats in the lower house of parliament.
That figure is still far short of the 376 votes required from both houses of parliament to confirm Pita as prime minister.
(aik/aik)
2023-07-13 19:25:33
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