Approve Pita as prime minister or ‘get out’, Thailand protesters tell senators
- The Move Forward Party’s leader Pita Limjaroenrat has twice failed to be confirmed as Thailand’s next leader, largely thanks to obstinate senators
- As many as 1,000 demonstrators braved heavy rain and took to Bangkok’s busy Asok Intersection on Sunday, many shouting ‘senators, get out!’
Protesters braved heavy rain to show their anger and frustration toward the members of the Senate, who were appointed by the military and pride themselves as defenders of traditional royalist values, which they believe are under threat.
Sombat Boonngam-anong, a veteran social activist who organised the rally, told the crowd that senators only have the right to vote yes, and described voting no as unconstitutional.
“You can only vote yes, because the people already said yes to the results. You don’t have the right to vote anything else,” he declared of the senators’ responsibilities.
Deputy speaker says Pita’s PM bid ‘over’ as Thailand braces for protests
Pita was rejected in a first vote and was knocked out of contention last when a procedural vote decided he could not be nominated a second time.
While declaring that the coalition for now will stick with its original members and try to win more votes from conservative lawmakers before the next vote scheduled for Thursday, Pheu Thai did not rule out the possibility that Move Forward could be excluded from the coalition altogether in order for it to succeed in forming the government.
On Saturday and Sunday, Pheu Thai held meetings with several parties that voted Prayuth in as prime minister in 2019.
The parties that held meetings with Pheu Thai over the weekend, including the military-backed Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation parties, while denying they discussed joining the coalition, also made it clear they would not be willing to do so as long as Move Forward remains in the bloc.
Some of Move Forward’s supporters want the coalition to stand fast instead of inviting new members from the other side of the political spectrum, and feel their Pheu Thai colleagues are putting the pursuit of power ahead of principle.
Thai lawmakers dash Pita’s hopes of becoming prime minister
Pheu Thai is the latest in a string of parties closely affiliated with populist billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in exile to avoid a prison sentence for abuse of power that he contends was politically inspired. Supporters of parties backed by Shinawatra staged several mass protests against the conservative establishment that ousted him, spurring violent crackdowns, especially in 2010, when at least 94 people were killed.
Move Forward’s victory was powered by a widespread desire, particularly among young people, for deep structural change in Thailand after nine years of military-backed rule.
The party also wants to reduce the influence of the military, which has staged more than a dozen coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, and of big business monopolies.