By Thai Newsroom Reporters
NEARLY 40 FORMER MPs have today (Dec.16) showed up at the Bhumjaithai Party headquarters where they have freshly registered themselves as partisan members with reported intent to contest the next general election under the tickets of the second-largest coalition partner.
Those ex-MPs have earlier resigned as members of the Palang Pracharath, Pheu Thai and Move Forward, among others, thus immediately losing their MP status, to jump onto the bandwagon of the Bhumjaithai, steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob.
They are all confident of getting reelected in the nationwide election under the banners of the Bhumjaithai which has reportedly intended to name party leader Anutin Charnvirakul as partisan candidate for prime minister.
The Bhumjaithai is more or less anticipated to win more MP seats than in the 2019 general election which saw 51 candidates vying under the tickets of Newin’s camp elected as MPs and to play a pivotal role in a future coalition though head of a post-election government could probably be anyone else other than Anutin.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Chuan Leekpai today confirmed that the current number of MPs now totaled 439, thus rendering a minimum of 220 MPs to make a House quorum. That compared to an original total of 500 MPs.
Many have already quit as elected lawmakers in order to leave one party for another, mostly for Newin’s camp, thus immediately losing their MP status.
No by-election for MP is warranted by law to find replacements for those who may have resigned within a 180-day period ahead of March 24, the date on which the House’s four-year term is scheduled to end.
CAPTIONS:
Bhumjaithai party leader Anutin Charnvirakul with partisan members today, Dec. 16, 2022. Top photo: INN News, Front Page photo: Thai Rath
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