The leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party, Pita Limjaroenrat, announced on Thursday that seven parties, representing 313 seats in the House of Representatives, have formed a coalition government with him as prime minister. This proposed coalition has a solid majority of the House’s 500 members.
Despite this overwhelming support, concerns remain among the coalition’s supporters that Pita’s military-aligned opponents may use the unelected Senate to prevent him from assuming office. Under Thailand’s constitution, which was drafted under military rule following a 2014 coup, the lower house and the 250-seat Senate must vote together to select a new prime minister. All of the senators have been appointed by the generals who seized power after the coup. As a result of this joint vote, Sunday’s election victor is not guaranteed to take power.
The alliance added two more members and three seats on Thursday, but it still appears short of the 376 votes needed from the 750-member bicameral legislature to vote in a prime minister to form a government. Young voters were particularly attracted by Move Forward’s policies, including a proposed amendment of Thailand’s harsh lese-majeste law, under which criticising the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. About 200 people have been charged in the past few years, many of them from a youth-led protest movement. Critics of the law frequently claim that it is misused to punish critics of the government, whereas conservatives, who consider the royal institution sacrosanct, strongly oppose any amendment.
According to Pita, his plans to take office include teams to work out any differences among the parties and “make sure there is a continuation of power, minimizing risk as well as reducing destabilising factors that could damage the country or the economy or the financial markets”. Move Forward’s progressive agenda resonated with a public weary of nine years of military-steered rule under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup as army chief. The party surged in support before Sunday’s polls, making it the largest party in the legislature with 151 seats. Prayuth’s United Thai Nation Party only captured 23 House seats, while Move Forward edged out another opposition party, Pheu Thai, which is aligned with popular former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Pheu Thai leader Cholanan Srikaew pledged unequivocal support for Pita as prime minister and for Move Forward’s bid to form a new government. All senators voted for Prayuth as prime minister after the 2019 elections, allowing him to remain in office despite a Pheu Thai victory in those polls. Some senators have already said they will not support Pita as prime minister because they oppose any change to the lese-majeste law, known as Article 112.
“I confirm we want to protect the monarchy but also not allow 112 to be used to harm other people,” said Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party, which is part of Pita’s coalition. She added that each party in the coalition has a different stance on the law and that they need to talk about this article, as well as all the other policies.
Pita said the parties will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to create a common understanding of how they will work together as a government. He also brushed off a pending case filed with the election commission seeking to disqualify him over shares he allegedly holds in a media company, saying, “I’m not worried. I understand there are many dimensions in politics. As a public figure, I can accept the investigation.”
