Another joint sitting of the House and Senate, for the selection of Thailand’s new prime minister, has been scheduled for 9.30am on Thursday July 27th, House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said Wednesday night.
He said that the meeting will begin with the nomination by political parties of prime ministerial candidates, followed by a debate on the qualifications of the nominees, which must be completed by 5pm, after which there will be a roll call vote.
He said that Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat cannot be re-nominated, in accordance with Rule 41, after parliament voted 394:312 (with 8 abstentions and one who did not vote) on Wednesday that his re-nomination would break that rule.
Admitting that he has no idea how many candidates will be nominated, Wan said that the winning candidate must receive more than 374 votes of approval from the MPs and senators combined.
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew said on his Facebook page that the party will not rush to take the lead in forming the new government, until there is an official announcement from the Move Forward party that it will step aside to let it do so.
He also said that the two parties will have to meet for a discussion on how they should proceed after Pita’s defeat on Wednesday.
