BANGKOK: Electoral winner Move Forward Party submitted a draft Bill to cut off the Senate’s power in the selection of the prime minister, following its leader’s failure to secure enough votes from a joint sitting of parliament on Thursday (Jul 13).
Move Forward Party members submitted the draft bill to Speaker of the House of Representatives and president of the Parliament Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Friday afternoon, aiming to revoke Section 272 of the Thai constitution, which empowers the Senate to jointly select the prime minister together with the House of Representatives until May 2024.
“We would like to call it an amendment to the constitution in order to return the power of selecting the prime minister to the people,” said Move Forward Party secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon.
Members of parliament (MPs) and senators convened on Thursday to vote on Thailand’s next prime minister – two months after the general election on May 14 which saw the Move Forward Party emerge as the winner.
Prime ministerial hopeful and Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was the sole candidate but failed to garner the requisite approval of more than half of the combined assembly.
The assembly comprises 500 MPs from the House of Representatives – the Lower House – and 249 members of the Senate – the Upper House.
For Mr Pita to become the prime minister, he must secure at least 375 votes from the existing members of both Houses.
However, he only managed to garner 324 votes on Thursday, missing 51.
A total of 705 parliamentarians took part in the prime ministerial selection. They included 182 people who voted against Mr Pita and 199 others who abstained.
“It was clear that many senators abstained from voting – 159 of them. Forty three others didn’t join in the meeting. A lot of senators clearly expressed their intention not to use their right or power in the selection of the prime minister,” said Mr Chaithawat.
“If this is to be the case, it will lead to a political deadlock. We, the Move Forward Party, as members of the parliament, are proposing a way out for senators since they don’t wish to use such power.”
The Move Forward Party secretary-general believes that revoking Section 272 of the constitution will provide a way out for both the senators and the parliamentary system.
“This is to enable Thai politics to move forward and to allow for a new government as soon as possible,” he added.
Since the vote to elect a prime minister was unsuccessful, both Houses will reconvene on Jul 19 to revote.
In the event that none of the listed candidates can be appointed for any reason, at least half of the members of both Houses can request the National Assembly to start a process that could allow an “outsider prime minister’”.
Source: CNA
