Reuters quoted the Speaker of the Thai National Assembly as saying that Thai lawmakers will vote to elect a prime minister on August 22. The announcement was made shortly after the Thai Constitutional Court ruled against the March Forward Party (MFP)'s appeal to re-nominate the MFP's president for prime minister.
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| The Thai Parliament session on July 19, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
On August 16, the Thai Constitutional Court ruled to reject the MFP's appeal to review the Thai Parliament's decision not to allow MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat to be re-nominated as prime minister.
According to the announcement of the Thai Constitutional Court, the Court has received a petition from the Office of the Ombudsman along with 20 lawsuits from individuals, but there is no lawsuit from prime minister candidate, MFP President Pita Limjaroenrat.
Meanwhile, Thai law stipulates that only individuals whose rights are directly affected by a resolution of the National Assembly have the right to submit a petition to the Constitutional Court for consideration.
Accordingly, the Thai Constitutional Court found that the Office of the Ombudsman and the individuals who filed the lawsuit were not entities or individuals with the authority to submit a petition for the Court to consider on this matter.
The Constitutional Court’s decision reaffirms that the MFP President no longer has the opportunity to run for the position of prime minister. At the same time, the Constitutional Court’s decision will also pave the way for the Thai Parliament to soon hold a vote to elect a new prime minister.
In the general election in May, the MFP won 151 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. The MFP formed an eight-party coalition, including Pheu Thai, which came in second with 141 seats. The eight-party coalition unanimously nominated MFP leader Pita for prime minister.
However, in the first round of voting on July 13, Mr. Pita did not receive the minimum majority of votes from the National Assembly to be elected Prime Minister. Then, in the session on July 19, the Thai National Assembly rejected the proposal of the 8-party alliance to re-nominate candidate Pita, citing the rule prohibiting re-submission of unsuccessful proposals in the same National Assembly session.
Meanwhile, the Pheu Thai Party is trying to lead a new coalition without the MFP to form a government. Pheu Thai has confirmed that it will nominate Srettha Thavisin for prime minister in the upcoming vote.
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