By Thai Newsroom Reporters
MOVE FORWARD LEADER/PRIME minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat will very likely get enough votes for prime minister at the first go, said deputy party leader Sirikanya Tansakul today (July 6).
The woman Move Forward MP, speculated to be named finance minister under a Move Forward-led coalition government, declined to tell how many among a total of 250 senators may pick Pita for prime minister during next Thursday’s joint House/Senate meeting but expressed a “100% confidence” that he will get adequate support from among the senators in the first round of joint voting.
Given a total of 312 coalition MPs on his side, Pita will need at least 64 more votes from non-coalition MPs and the unelected senators who are constitutionally empowered to pick a prime minister alongside the elected lawmakers.
Pita and his partisan colleagues have quietly lobbied many of the senators in effort to win their support for his rise to power though all of them were handpicked by Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan and de facto Ruam Thai Sang Chart boss/caretaker prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has earlier said the Move Forward leader/prime minister-designate will very likely be given a second chance to secure yea votes from the MPs and senators if he eventually fails to get enough votes in the first round of the joint voting.
The first round of voting is scheduled for next Thursday which might possibly be followed by the second round scheduled for July 19 or July 20.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Move Forward leader/prime minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat and deputy party leader Sirikanya Tansakul.
Front Page: Move Forward leader/prime minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat. Both photos: Matichon
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