A senator issued an open letter on Saturday asking his fellow senators to vote for Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat as the next prime minister during the joint sitting on Thursday.

Vudhibhandhu Vichairatana wrote, in what he called his second open letter, that he would follow the instructions of HM the King, given at the inauguration ceremony of the lower House last week, to carry out his duties for the benefit of the country’s stability and of the people.

He said there may be strong and wide criticism concerning the suitability of an individual, that is just a part of freedom of expression. There have, however, been opinions expressed which are not appropriate and based on bias.

He also mentioned the Constitution, which states that senators should not be under the mandate of any political party and should perform their duties with honesty, for the benefit of people and the country and without conflict of interest.

Therefore, he urged other senators to support the prime ministerial candidate who has the support of the most MPs.

Vudhibhandhu is a former Budget Bureau director.

Move Forward and its coalition partners have a combined 312 MPs in the 500-seat House and are attempting to form the new government, with Pita as the prime minister.

To be elected, however, Pita needs 64 additional votes, either from non-coalition parties, the Senate or a combination of the two, in the July 13^th joint sitting.

It is unlikely that he will obtain enough support from the Senate, however, due to his party’s insistence on amending the lèse majesté law, which was an election manifesto pledge.