Agreement must be reached on new govt during next round of voting: TCC
The Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) believes that the failure to elect the next Prime Minister after the first voting session on Thursday will not affect the projected economic expansion this year of around 3-3.5%.
Move Forward Party’s candidate Pita Limjaroenrat on Thursday failed in his bid to become Thailand's 30th prime minister after receiving 323 votes, most of them from his eight-party coalition, falling short of the 376 he required.
The second and third rounds of voting for PM are scheduled for July 19 and 20.
TCC chairman Sanan Angubolkul said on Friday that after the first unsuccessful attempt, the MFP-led eight-party coalition should discuss a new approach to secure more votes from the senators during the next session.
He added that the PM election on Thursday, which saw 646 parliamentarians taking part – 216 senators and 460 members of the House of Representatives – proved that the country’s parliamentary process under a democratic system is still working and can move forward.
Sanan said he believed that before the next voting session, all related parties will reach a mutual agreement based on the country’s benefits and help form the new government as soon as possible.
The TCC chairman however warned that if the formation of the new Cabinet was delayed to August or September, it could further delay the disbursement of the state budget in the second quarter of 2024 thus affecting the confidence of the business sector and foreign investors.
“The private sector wants to see the new government being formed as soon as possible to avoid any negative impact on next year’s economic expansion,” he said, adding that the TCC will monitor the situation closely to evaluate its impact on the economy.
