Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s re-nomination for Thailand’s next prime minister, at the second joint sitting of the House and the Senate on Wednesday, has become a contentious issue to be discussed at a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) between the Senate whips and party whips from the House of Representatives.

Senator Somchai Sawangkarn, representing the Senate whips, said today that he is glad that House speaker Wan Noor Muhamad Noor Matha, also the parliament president, hasscheduled a meeting tomorrow to resolve the contentious issue, before the joint sitting on Wednesday.

Somchai said that a number of senators doubt that Pita can be re-nominated, citing parliamentary Rule 41, which states that a motion which has failed to be endorsed by parliament may not be resubmitted in the same parliamentary session.

The senator added that, if Pita is to be re-nominated in the form of a motion, Rule 41 must be exempted, which wouldrequire the approval of the members of both Houses.

The Move Forward party, meanwhile, contends that, under the Constitution, Rule 41 cannot be applied to the selection of the prime minister.

Senator Seree Suwanpanont, meanwhile, said that Rule 41 will definitely be raised at the joint sitting of the parliament on Wednesday and the issue must be resolved before MPs and senators vote to select the prime minister.

He said that he cannot predict whether senators will agree to the exemption of Rule 41.