Ball in Pheu Thai’s court, says Move Forward ahead of crucial meeting on Tuesday
A senior Move Forward leader urged party members to wait for clarity from the Pheu Thai Party after they complete their consultation process regarding forming a coalition government.
Speaking online with members at the party’s headquarters on Monday, Move Forward secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon said that rushing to premature conclusions and pushing the opposition to form a government might not be appropriate.
The Move Forward meeting with members discussed the formation of the government before engaging in negotiations with coalition leaders on Tuesday.
Chaithawat informed the members that the meeting on Tuesday aimed to clarify the issues discussed during the previous meeting held on July 21, after Pheu Thai completes its consultation process. They expect to discuss various proposals and have a dialogue about the strategies for forming a government, including the sensitive issue of proposing an amendment to Article 112.
Chaithawat urged everyone not to jump to premature conclusions about the outcome of the meeting, emphasising that Move Forward would keep an open mind during the discussions.
Clarity is also expected on Tuesday regarding the situation of Pheu Thai Party’s PM candidate obtaining votes from senators.
Move Forward is unlikely to want a prolonged situation of instability without a resolution. Pheu Thai may need to gather votes from the Bhumjaithai Party to support their cause. However, discussions on this matter have not taken place yet.
"The worrisome thing is that the people who have already voted do not want the winning political parties — the two parties with the highest number of seats — to disappoint them," Chaithawat said.
Chaitawat added that a decision on excluding Move Forward from the coalition may not be made at Tuesday’s meeting.
Move Forward and Pheu Thai Party together hold more than half of the seats in the lower House with 292 of 500 MPs. However, in the event of a stalemate, Pheu Thai Party may have to make a compromise alliance with other parties instead of Move Forward to be able to form a government. Chaitawat said it would be premature to assume that the memorandum of understanding signed by the coalition of eight parties after the election may be scrapped at Tuesday’s meeting.
