Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s hopes of becoming Thailand’s next prime minister were dashed today (Wednesday) after legislators voted against his re-nomination – less than a week after his first attempt was rejected.

The vote came after more than eight hours of heated debate over whether his re-nomination was against House regulations. His opponents insisted that his re-nomination was a repeat of the same motion submitted and rejected by parliament last Thursday.

The House rules prohibit a motion that has been rejected from being resubmitted during the same parliamentary session. His supporters, however, argued that the re-nomination was not a “motion” per se, but part of the process of nominating the prime minister.

Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha called for a vote to end the impasse, resulting in 395 MPs and senators voting against the re-nomination, 312 votes for and 8 abstentions.