Prime Minister Election

[Gaybutton]

Pita has lost Round 1. 51 votes short. 51 people trying to countermand what the vast majority of the entire country of Thais voted for. But it's far from over. The Marjorie Taylor Greenes and Karens of Thailand have had their moment. Round 2 coming up - Wednesday, July 19. That gives Pita and his party nearly a week to work on getting the votes he needs.

The news is now saying if no decision is reached on the 19th, a third round of voting will take place the next day, July 20.

One question: If in the end the new Prime Minister won't be Pita, then who?

So far no signs of protests.
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Pita loses first PM vote

Move Forward leader gets support of only 13 senators, another round expected next Wednesday

July 13, 2023

Pita Limjaroenrat failed on Thursday in his initial bid to become the country’s next prime minister, after he was unable to secure the required endorsement of more than half of the members of parliament.

The final tally was 324 votes in favour, 182 against and 199 abstentions, among the 705 members participating. The Move Forward Party (MFP) leader needed 375 votes — a simple majority of the 749 combined House and Senate seats — to win the office.

Mr Pita received 311 votes in favour from MPs and 148 against, with 39 abstentions. He received just 13 votes in favour from senators, 34 against and 159 abstentions.

Earlier Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said second and third rounds of voting would take place on July 19 and 20. It is not yet clear whether the name of the Move Forward leader will be put forward again on one or both occasions.

The voting at the joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate followed six hours of debate on the qualifications of Mr Pita, the sole candidate.

Parliamentarians mainly discussed controversies concerning the intention of the MFP to change Section 112, or the lese-majeste law, and Mr Pita’s shareholding in iTV Plc. The constitution bans any media organisation shareholder from running in a general election.

Mr Wan adjourned the debate at 3.52pm. He praised parliamentarians for their cooperation in the session, which allowed the debate to conclude one hour earlier than planned.

The session saw 705 out of 749 parliamentarians (one senator resigned on Wednesday) confirming their attendance for the vote. The number included 216 senators.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... st-pm-vote
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NOTE: The following article was published before the voting began
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Move Forward Party’s PM Candidate Pita Limjaroenrat is in Fierce Struggle for Office Amidst Storm of Allegations

By Tanakorn Panyadee

13 July, 2023

Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward Party’s sole candidate for prime minister, finds himself locked in a politically charged battle as he strives to assume office.

The joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate convened today, July 13rd, to select Thailand’s 30th Prime Minister. Pita, the leader of the election winner Move Forward Party, was nominated as the sole PM candidate for today, with support from 302 House representatives.

However, the PM-hopeful is currently facing a relentless onslaught of allegations from the opposition faction and the majority of the upper house members.

Some of the allegations are that Pita might not be eligible for office due to his iTV media shareholding.

According to the Thai charter, politicians are not allowed to hold media shares. The Election Commission (EC) also recently decided to ask the Constitutional Court regarding this issue and requests the court to suspend Pita’s political duty.

Certain members of the 250 senators are using this allegation as a reason not to vote for him or abstain their votes. The senators also warn the coalition that they might violate the Constitution if they insist on supporting an unqualified candidate, although no ruling has been made yet regarding Pita’s iTV shareholding.

Meanwhile, the opposition faction or the former government camp is bombarding Pita for his intention to amend the lese-majeste law.

They claim that the amendment will undermine Thailand’s esteemed royal institution that has been instrumental in building and protecting the country since its inception.

Instead of focusing on the amendment, the Move Forward Party should focus on addressing other important issues such as higher living costs and drug problems, the opposition urged.

As a result, the opposition will not vote for Pita as a premier.

In response to both the upper house and the opposition, Pita said that he acknowledged concerns about his candidacy and commended parliamentarians for maturely and transparently discussing these matters within the parliament.

Regarding the allegations, Pita emphasized that any amendment to the law should be conducted within the framework of the constitutional monarchy system in parliament, including the amendment to the lese majeste law.

He clarified that the amendment was not part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the 8-party coalition, which includes the Move Forward Party. Consequently, none of the remaining 7 parties have provisions for the amendment.
Regarding his eligibility, Pita mentioned that the Constitutional Court has yet to issue a ruling on his case related to media shareholding. He also highlighted that he was not notified by the Election Commission about the allegations made against him, denying him the opportunity to defend himself. Despite these challenges, Pita firmly asserted that he remains fully qualified for nomination.

He needs 376 yes votes to become PM which begins as of press time.

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/13/m ... legations/

[Jun]

Here are the figures from your post, rearranged.



1 Top of the list of problems is the Junta appointed Senate, with only 6% supporting the candidate.

2 Second on the list of problems is requiring 376 votes, which is obviously set as a majority of the combined houses, irrespective of who has died, or isn't participating. With this system, an abstention or a no show has exactly the same effect as a No vote. Particularly when there is no mention of an alternative candidate.
Yes = Yes
No show ≡ Abstain ≡ Died ≡No

3 The Bangkok Post cannot count. They report 39 MPs abstaining, 159 from the Senate and when adding those numbers, their total is 199.

4 Out of 749 members, only 704 participated. What happened to the other 45 ? Are they not permitted to participate, or were they AWOL ? Which in my view would be equivalent to abstention and hence equivalent to No.

He already has 62% of the support from the elected representatives, which is quite strong.
If the For vote from the Senate remains at 13 votes, he will need 73% of the Senate vote to get elected. That's a very high threshold.

This constitution is not democratic.

Many European countries had decades or centuries of struggle & conflict to establish democracy. Going far beyond just protesting. We benefit from the sacrifices made by previous generations.
I cannot assume the path will be easy for Asian countries.
(Edited)

[Gaybutton]

This constitution is not democratic.

Definitely not when the vote of the people becomes superfluous and the outcome is in the hands of just a few - who apparently represent themselves, completely disregarding and seemingly not giving a damn about the will of the people. If that's the way it works, then why even bother with a popular election? To accomplish what, to merely use it as a survey?

Pita certainly is not my idea of a damned fool. I have a feeling Pita and his staff anticipated this as not only a possibility, but a probability, and have long since had their plans in place to deal with exactly this kind of result. While obviously they would have liked to have won on the first ballot, preferably by acclamation, they must have realized it was unlikely to work out that way. I doubt Pita and his people were surprised.

Again, my question - and I've seen nothing in the news about it - is if Pita doesn't become Prime Minister, then who, especially since no one else was even nominated?

However, in the end I still think Pita will prevail. But some of these people are going to put him through the meat grinder first.

[Jun]

Again, my question - and I've seen nothing in the news about it - is if Pita doesn't become Prime Minister, then who, especially since no one else was even nominated?

Doesn't Gen Prayut remain in the job until his successor is appointed ?

[Gaybutton]

Doesn't Gen Prayut remain in the job until his successor is appointed ?

He is supposed to, but he is also talking about retiring. I don't know what happens if he retires before a new Prime Minister takes office.

[Gaybutton]

Pita: ‘I’m not giving up’

PM candidate says he'll revise strategy, but abandoning Section 112 amendment is off the table

July 13, 2023

“I accept it but I’m not giving up,” was Pita Limjaroenrat’s first reaction after he failed to win a majority vote from parliament for his premiership on Thursday evening.

The Move Forward Party leader received 324 votes in his favour, 182 votes against and 199 abstentions in the first prime ministerial vote. The result left him 51 votes short of his target.

After the vote result was announced, Mr Pita told reporters that there were a lot of pressures on senators because many of them were absent from the joint sitting of representatives and senators on Thursday.

“There were pressures and several incentives,” he said without elaborating. “They were not allowed to vote in line with the people.”

More than 30 senators were absent from the meeting. Some had gone abroad and others left the chamber, said the leader of the election-winning party.

“I thank the 13 senators who voted in favour. I will find the reasons why many of them were absent,” Mr Pita said.

He said he accepted the vote result but was not giving up. He said he would try to find strategies to gather enough support in the next round of the prime ministerial vote.

Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled the second and third rounds of voting for July 19 and 20. It is not known yet if Mr Pita’s name will be put forward on one or both days.

Before the vote on Thursday, several parliamentarians attacked the Move Forward Party’s policy to amend the lese-majeste law.

Some commentators have suggested that if the party decided to compromise and drop plans to change the law from its policy pledges, Mr Pita might be able e able to win a majority in the next round of voting.

After Thursday’s vote, reporters asked Mr Pita if his party would change its stance on the law, Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

“It will remain the same,” he insisted. “Today we had a lot of chances to explain the matter to the parliament and that was a good development.”

Asked if he was prepared to be in the opposition if things don’t go his way, Mr Pita said he was focusing for now on preparing for the second round of the prime ministerial vote.

There would be time enough to figure out what happened on Thursday to get ready for the next round, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -giving-up

[Gaybutton]

After Thursday’s vote, reporters asked Mr Pita if his party would change its stance on the law, Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

“It will remain the same,” he insisted.

I admire him for sticking to his principles even if he knows it might cost him his chance to become Prime Minister. If he lived in the USA he for sure wouldn't be a Republican.

The usual unscrupulous politician would probably say whatever is necessary to win, and then do precisely the opposite once in office. When confronted by reminding him about what he said, that kind of politician would probably respond with, "Did I say that? I must've had my fingers crossed".

I hope Pita prevails. I think he is exactly the right person at exactly the right time and is exactly the kind of leader Thailand needs running the show.

This is one time I am holding my breath . . .
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Perhaps public pressure will sway the vote. We'll see.
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Most Online Users Want Pita as PM, Study Finds

by THE NATION

July 13, 2023

A social listening study has found that most Thai social networkers want to see Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat elected as Thailand’s 30th prime minister.

Dataxet Co Ltd, a firm providing media monitoring and social listening for marketing and PR customers, has been conducting the so-called social listening on its DXT 360 platform from July 5 to 12 to monitor what Thai online users have been discussing ahead of the PM vote on Thursday.

Dataxet said the study focused on Thai social networkers’ hopes before the parliamentary vote on the 30th prime minister and the study yielded six results:

• 65.7% want to see the eight coalition parties successfully set up the next government with Pita as prime minister.

• 22.4% are calling on senators to respect the people’s mandate and do their duty with dignity before they leave office in a year.

• 6.9% want all MPs outside the Move Forward bloc to vote for Pita so that democracy can move on.

• 3% want Move Forward to take one step back by dropping their pledge to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code in exchange for votes to elect Pita.

• 1% want the coalition to hold back and allow a minority government to rule the country for one year until the current senators' term expires.

• 1% want the PM vote to be held continuously for one year if no candidate wins, until the current Senate’s tenure expires.

Dataxet said its study also found that Pita alone had created media value on various websites and social network pages worth 1.186 billion baht.

Pita has led to 5.019 million “buzzes” or mentions and engagements by social networkers during July 5 to 12, which constituted a growth of over 73.4% from the previous period.

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand ... s/40029330

[Dodger]

This constitution is not democratic.

Not any more it's not.

When the Generals were allowed to change the constitution (using military defensive strategies) to protect their positions against their enemies, and in this case "their enemies" being the free voice of the civilian population, democracy went right out the window.

This thing's gonna get ugly!!!

[Gaybutton]

This thing's gonna get ugly!!!

I hope that doesn't happen. While Pita is standing up for what he believes in, the whole problem seems to be about amending the Lese Majeste law. I have seen nothing about how he wants to amend it. I don't know what kind of changes he wants to make.

I think it would be worth it for him to give in to that in order to become Prime Minister, which I think is astronomically more important than amending that law at this time. Thailand has lived with that law all this time so I don't see any great harm in letting it stand a bit longer until he can have a parliament that will agree with him about it, which could be as soon as next year.

I hope he won't throw away his chance of becoming Prime Minister because of that one issue, which seems rather minor to me. I really don't see why it is such a big deal that he would give up his bid to be Prime Minister over it.

[Gaybutton]

I hope there will be no major protests, but if that happens, in Thailand that will be far from the first time. I am guessing the people who would initiate such protests are biding their time until the outcome of the next round of voting on Wednesday, the 19th.

Meanwhile, it does seem that the police are expecting something to happen, especially if Pita loses despite the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the nation's voters.

News stories of anger are already popping up, and people are not pleased with the senators:

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... m-piyabutr

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... ns-pm-vote
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Police prepare for nationwide protests, Parliament heavily guarded

July 14, 2023

NationalL Police Chief Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittipraphat early this morning (July 14) ordered police nationwide to prepare for possible protests with Parliament strongly guarded following prime minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat failing to get enough votes to take the helm of the government at a joint House/senate meeting yesterday, Naewna newspaper said.

The pro-Pita votes cast by the lawmakers yesterday only accounted for 324 votes, 13 of which came from senators, but it was 51 votes short of a minimum of 375 accounting for more than half the combined total of MPs and senators as required by law.

Tight security was mounted around the Parliament building with approximately 40 containers covered with vinyl sheets placed around the entrance. High-pressure water cannon trucks and paddy wagons were being brought in.

Samsen road was closed from Bang Krabue intersection to Boon Rawd Company ; Pracharat Sai 1 Road closed from Kiak Kai to Bang Po intersection; and Thahan road closed from Kiak Kai to Saphan Daeng intersection.

At these intersections police had placed containers, rolled our barbed wire and metal barriers to prevent Move Forward supporters from getting within 50-metre radius of the Parliament as announced by Metropolitan Police.

Some Move Forward supporters had gathered at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration complex, or Kiak Kai complex, near the Parliament since last night with more people carrying placards flocking in from morning.

First deputy House speaker Padipat Santipada, who is a Move Forward MP, came to inspect the area and give encouragement.

He said his visit is to arrange space for people rallying because it is the policy of House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, who is concurrently Parliament president, that gathering is a fundamental right and freedom of the people

He also pointed out that closing this area is too strict and may increase tension with demonstrators only wanting to show their support for Pita.

Pol.Gen. Damrongsak said he has ordered provincial police chiefs to closely monitor the situation with Metropolitan Police being responsible for the security in Bangkok and the Parliament.

Police were ordered to carry out their duties within the framework of the law and not increase further conflicts and prevent complications. They were also told to announce through loudspeakers the law and guidelines on assembling with the people having the right to gather.

Story and photos: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/07/14/pol ... y-guarded/