Parliament vote for Thailand's new prime minister scheduled for August 22

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【Summary】Thailand's Parliament will vote on a new prime minister on August 22. The court rejected a bid by election winner Move Forward to challenge parliament's blocking of its candidate. The country has been without a government since March, and Move Forward has faced resistance from conservative lawmakers. The Pheu Thai party, the second-place contender, has withdrawn its support for Move Forward and is now seeking support from conservative lawmakers for its own candidate.

FutureCar Staff Aug 16, 2023 7:50 AM PT

Parliament vote for Thailand's new prime minister scheduled for August 22

Lawmakers in Thailand are set to vote for a new premier next week, according to the house speaker. This comes after the Constitutional Court dismissed a petition by the election winner Move Forward party to challenge parliament's blocking of its candidate. The court argued that the party's prime ministerial candidate was not among the complainants. Thailand has been under a caretaker administration since March, and parliament has been deadlocked over the formation of the next government.

The anti-establishment Move Forward party, which won the May election, has faced resistance from conservative lawmakers allied with the royalist military. The party gained support from the youth and urban population with its liberal policy platform that aimed to tackle powerful interest groups such as big business monopolies and the military.

Despite the court's rejection, Pita Limjareonrat, the prime ministerial candidate of Move Forward, stated that the party will continue its fight to govern. The Pheu Thai party, which came second in the election, withdrew its backing for Move Forward after Pita's re-nomination was rejected.

Pheu Thai, known for its populist agenda, is now seeking support from conservative, army-backed lawmakers for its candidate, real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin. However, it is uncertain whether Srettha has enough support from the elected lower house and the military-appointed Senate to become prime minister and form a government.

In order to become prime minister, Srettha needs the backing of half of the combined houses. This may prove to be a challenge given Pheu Thai's difficult history with the military and conservative establishment, which has previously intervened to overthrow its governments during years of political turmoil.

The house speaker, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, announced that the vote for the premiership will take place on August 22. Senior Pheu Thai officials remain confident that Srettha will succeed, even without the support of Move Forward, the largest party in parliament.

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