By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A MOVE FORWARD-LED coalition now consists of eight partners with 313 MPs at their command, confirmed Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat today (May 18).
During a press conference at a Bangkok hotel, Pita announced the eight-party coalition government has been tentatively set up and resolved to endorse him as prime minister following Sunday’s general election in which the Move Forward scored a surprise victory and to put their respective campaign policies to work in the interests of the people throughout the country.
According to the Move Forward leader, which party is going to take charge of which portfolio of cabinet will be agreed upon among the coalition partners at a later date and it is too soon at the moment to go into details.
“Talking about allocation of portfolios among coalition partners won’t benefit the people in any way whilst campaign policies in the interests of the people are to be taken into account first,” Pita said.
The eight-party coalition partners include the Move Forward with 152 MPs, the Pheu Thai with 141 MPs, the Prachachart with 9 MPs, the Thai Sang Thai with 6 MPs, the Pheu Thai Ruam Palang with 2 MPs, the Thai Liberal with 1 MP, the Fair Party with 1 MP and the Palang Sangkhom Mai with 1 MP, all adding up to 313.
Nevertheless, Pita is needing at least 63 more votes from lawmakers either in the House of Representatives or the Senate to make it adequate for him to become prime minister.
The military-designed constitution calls for a partisan candidate for prime minister to secure yea votes from more than half the combined total of 500 MPs and 250 senators or at least 376 votes.
No more than 30 senators are expected to endorse Pita for prime minister whilst many others are speculated to abstain from voting only to make it short of support from the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Sam Mit Group leader Somsak Thepsuthin, now attached to the Pheu Thai, said some MPs of other camps may jump onto the bandwagon to help with the naming of Pita as elected prime minister.
Somsak did not name any other parties whose MPs might probably support Pita for prime minister but suggested the Move Forward-led coalition government manage to secure yea votes from some 30 more MPs in addition to those pro-Pita senators to reach the legal minimum of 376 votes for the Move Forward leader.
All 250 senators had been handpicked by Pita’s archrivals, namely Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan and coup leader-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following the 2014 coup, both of whom had contested the nationwide election for prime minister.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat with leaders of some coalition partners at today’s press conference, May 18, 2023. Photo: Sanook.com
Front Page; Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat riding a motorcycle taxi to a Bangkok hotel where the press conference was held. Photo: Amarin TV
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