The Move Forward party has not yet decided whether it will vote in support of Pheu Thai party’s prime ministerial candidate, Srettha Thavisin, party leader Pita Limjaroenrat said yesterday (Wednesday).
Core members of the Pheu Thai party, among them Paetongtarn Shinawatra, head of the Pheu Thai “Family”, party leader Cholnan Srikaew and deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai, went to the Move Forward party’s head office yesterday, reportedly to seek support for Srettha.
Pita briefly told the media afterwards that core members of the two parties simply listened to each other’s views, but there was no conclusion reached adding, however, that the two sides will keep in contact.
Meanwhile, core members of Pheu Thai declined to talk to the media as they left the Move Forward HQ.
Parliament will meet to select the new prime minister after the August 16th Constitutional Court decision on whether to accept the petition on Pita’s renomination.
Meanwhile, former election commissioner and political commentator, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, said in his Facebook post today that the Pheu Thai-led coalition of nine parties now commands 238 votes in the 500-member House of Representatives, following the inclusion of the Chartthaipattana party today, but this is still not enough to form a majority government.
He said Pheu Thai could invite the Democrat, Palang Pracharath or United Thai Nation parties, or a combination, to join the coalition, which would give the coalition a majority in the House. They would, however, still need support from the senators to meet the minimum of 375 combined votes of both the MPs and senators for Srettha to be approved as the prime minister, he said.
Alternatively, Pheu Thai could stop at nine parties, with the 238 votes, and then seek support from individual MPs and senators, said Somchai.
He asked whether Pheu Thai is, however, ready to face the consequences for embracing either of the two junta-linked parties, Palang Pracharath or United Thai Nation.
He said the second option would, however, undermine the party system by nurturing the “cobra” system in parliament, which is encouraging individual MPs to defy their parties.
