After the failed election of a head of government in Thailand two months after parliamentary elections, Thailand’s political future is completely uncertain. Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat (42) of the pro-democracy party Move Forward failed to achieve a majority in both chambers on Thursday. The vote is scheduled for next Wednesday. Meanwhile, concerns about possible protests are growing. Angry reactions, especially from students, were not long in coming, as Pita’s party had clearly won the parliamentary elections in May. Still, he could miss the leap to power.
Move Forward formed a coalition of eight parties in recent weeks. Pita thus has a majority in the House of Representatives – but due to a special constitutional provision, that is not enough to become prime minister. The army, which has been in power until now, changed the constitution in its favor after a coup in 2014: in addition to the elected members of parliament, 250 senators appointed by the army also decide on the prime minister. Almost all of them voted against Pita on Thursday or abstained, which is taken as a “no.”
The student council of the renowned Thammasat University wrote in a statement addressed to Pita’s opponents in parliament: “Your behavior is disgusting and disgraceful (…). You are ignoring your role as representatives of the Thai people, who are obliged to perform duties perform for the good of the nation and the good of the people.”
Hundreds of Pita supporters followed the vote live in front of parliament and loudly vented their anger at the result. There is growing concern that the anger could erupt into mass protests. According to media reports, tour operators in particular fear that political unrest could harm tourism, which has just started up again after the corona pandemic.
Meanwhile, Pita himself was confident that he would still be able to get a majority in the vote next week. “I accept the result, but I will not give up,” he told the Bangkok Post newspaper on Friday. “I will find strategies to get enough support in the next round of elections.”
The sticking point is the Move Forward Party’s plan to change the controversial lèse-majeste law: Thailand punishes lèse-majeste more harshly than almost any other country. Article 112 provides for long prison terms. The population has been protesting against this for quite some time. However, many conservative politicians want to stick with the law as it stands – and therefore refuse to vote for Pita. “If we allow people to insult the monarchy, our country will catch fire,” said Chada Thait of the Bhumjaithai party, which came third in May’s elections.
Political observers in Bangkok believe Pita, a Harvard graduate, would win significantly more votes if he backed away from his hardline stance on the proposed reform. However, he made it clear: “I will continue to push to change the article, as I promised.”
(yam/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
