Thai politician Pita Limjaroenrat will Wednesday renew his attempt to win parliament’s support to become the country’s next prime minister, in a vote that depends on the outcome of a debate around his eligibility to try a second time to win the top job.
The arguments, called by House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, will revolve around a parliamentary rule flagged by some senators that failed motions cannot be raised again in the same session — likening it to Pita’s loss last week in round one of the vote to become premier.
The National Assembly will convene at 9:30 a.m. in Bangkok, and even if Pita is found eligible for a re-vote after the debate, it will mark the clearing of just the first of many hurdles. He would still need to win enough support from the military-appointed Senate to become prime minister, under electoral rules designed by the royalist establishment after a 2014 coup.
If he does manage to win the Senate’s support, there’s still a court decision hanging over Pita’s status as a lawmaker. If events of the past week are any indication, senators are unlikely to back Pita as they are against his reforms agenda, including loosening Thailand’s lese majeste law. The act punishes anyone found defaming, insulting or threatening the king or other royals.
While none of the conservative parties extended support to Pita last week, only 13 senators voted for him then. That took the total ‘for’ votes to 324 in the combined 749-member parliament — 51 short of the 375 needed to secure the top job. The original strength was 750 before one senator resigned.
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With the odds stacked against Pita, his Move Forward Party will face a setback in its efforts to end nearly a decade of military-rule. That will also see further delays in government formation, which risks paralyzing policymaking and constraining an economy whose recovery is already lagging regional peers.
The nation’s benchmark stock index is the worst performer in Asia this year, and the baht is the second-biggest decliner in Southeast Asia since the May 14 vote.
Pita has, however, opened the door for his alliance partner Pheu Thai to take the lead in forming the next government, should he fail in his efforts. Pheu Thai has indicated Srettha Thavisin will be its pick for the top job.
“If we look from where we started and see that we’ve come this far, we’ll have the heart to keep going,” Pita said on Tuesday. “We’ve fought and won under their rules. We should be proud of what we’ve achieved.”
While Pita will head into Wednesday’s parliament sitting with questions around his nomination, the Constitutional Court will almost at the same time decide whether to accept a case that seeks his disqualification as a lawmaker over breach of election rules.
READ: Thai PM Aspirant Risks Disqualification as Challenges Mount (3)
If it accepts the case, the charter court may order an immediate suspension of Pita’s lawmaker status. While the suspension won’t directly impact his candidacy for premiership, it may further fuel opposition against him and jeopardize his cause to gain as many Senate votes as possible.
“The sky is still dark but there is light ahead waiting for us, if we don’t give up,” Pita said. “There’s still time for us.”
