Pheu Thai denies plan to form coalition with outgoing govt parties
Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew said on Wednesday that there was no backup plan if Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat fails to gain enough votes to become prime minister again today. Cholnan denied that Pheu Thai is ready to form an alternative coalition with members of the outgoing government if Pita fails in his second bid to become PM.
Pheu Thai has two PM candidates waiting in the wings – Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra – should Pita’s bid fail.
The Move Forward leader needs a simple majority of at least 376 votes from a joint sitting of the House of Representatives and Senate to become Thailand's 30th prime minister. Last Thursday, he received 324 votes, with 182 against and 199 abstentions.
Cholnan said he believed that the Move Forward-led coalition can renominate Pita as a PM candidate again without violating parliamentary rules.
He insisted his party would continue to support Pita, adding that Pheu Thai had no backup plan to form a government.
Asked about the Constitutional Court considering whether Pita broke election rules by holding media shares, Cholnan said the coalition can still nominate Pita for the PM vote as the court has not yet ruled on his eligibility as an MP.
Asked if he thought senators would continue to reject Pita in the vote, he said that was up to the Senate. He added that there was no plan to propose Pheu Thai PM candidate Srettha yet.
Pheu Thai would have to wait for the coalition's decision before seeking to form a new government and lobbying the Senate for support, Cholnan said. He added that the exact number of Senate votes would need to be known before more political parties were added to the coalition.
