Thailand Elections Update

Editor: The Thai progressive Move Forward Party was elected by majority vote several months ago. They have not been able to secure the required number of votes from members of Parliament to elect their candidate as Prime Minister. When the MFP could not secure the Prime Minister position, the party with the second-highest popular vote, the loyalist Pheu Thai, tried to form a coalition of all the remaining parties without the majority-elected MFP. The Pheu Thai are offering their candidate, Srettha Thavisin, for Prime Minister, but the majority MFP refuses to vote for the Pheu Thai candidate.

The election of the Thai Prime Minister was supposed to have been concluded by August. In the past two months, there have been so many twists and turns of this situation that I have not posted on every change in the story. It’s too much to keep up with. The following article in CNA (Channel News Asia) explains from the point of view of the MFP how the situation may play out over the next several months. [Note: the Bangkok Post is pro-royalty and not the best source of information on this political situation in Thailand.]

Without a functioning government, the situation in Thailand could deteriorate into a situation likeMyanmar, where a military junta took over the government and there is an ongoing civil war.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-move-forward-pheu-thai-pm-bid-srettha-thavisin-3700346

BANGKOK: Thailand’s election-winning Move Forward Party declined on Tuesday (Aug 15) to back former alliance partner Pheu Thai’s bid to form the next government, calling it a distortion of the election outcome and against the will of the public.

The progressive Move Forward was the surprise winner of the May 14 election, closely followed by Pheu Thai, after the two trounced conservative parties in a resounding rejection of nine years of government led or backed by the military.

An alliance between them collapsed after a bicameral parliament over which the royalist military commands significant influence rejected Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s prime ministerial bid twice last month.

Thailand has been under a caretaker government for five months and Move Forward’s refusal to back Pheu Thai could prolong months of political uncertainty exacerbated by the parliamentary deadlock.

“The formation of government now is not reflective of the people’s voice … and distorts the will of the people in the elections,” Move Forward secretary general Chaithawat Tulathon told a news conference.

Political veteran Pheu Thai has been accused by critics of outmanoeuvring Move Forward to ensure it leads the government.

Pheu Thai insists it only withdrew its support when it was clear that Move Forward could not win the backing of the legislature, where it encountered resistance to its liberal, anti-establishment agenda.

Despite Pheu Thai’s bitter history with the military, it has been lobbying hard for the support of parties and senators allied with generals involved in 2006 and 2014 coups against its governments.

“We do not want to have any part in the formation of government under these conditions,” Move Forward’s Chaithawat said.

Pheu Thai will nominate for prime minister Srettha Thavisin, a former real estate mogul with no political experience up until the election. To succeed, Srettha needs support from more than half of the joint lower and upper houses, an outcome far from certain.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said he expected a prime ministerial vote between Aug 18 and Aug 22 and he was confident Srettha could still prevail without Move Forward’s support.

“We respect Move Forward’s decision and we are able to work with all parties,” he said.