PM candidate will not have to address Parliament before Tuesday’s vote

Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha chaired the meeting of senators and representatives from political parties with elected MPs at the Parliament building on Friday.

He said after the two-hour meeting that the participants agreed there was no requirement in the Constitution for PM candidates to present their vision before the parliamentary vote. Also, there is no such requirement in the parliamentary meeting regulations.

“It was agreed that the Parliament president has to follow the Constitution,” said Wan Noor, who is also the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Friday’s meeting resolved that the parliamentary meeting next Tuesday would start at 10am, he said.

It was agreed that the debate on the PM candidate nominated for the vote by both Houses would take no more than five hours – two hours for senators and three hours for MPs, according to Wan Noor.

The vote would start not later than 3pm and it was expected to be completed by 5.30pm, he said.

The process calls for the participating MPs and senators to vote one after the other during a roll call.

The Pheu Thai Party, which leads a new coalition aiming to form the next government, will nominate the bloc’s PM candidate for the parliamentary vote.

Srettha Thavisin, one of the party’s three PM candidates, is expected to be nominated. He is a non-MP.

Wan Noor said on Friday that he would use his power as Parliament president to reject a motion by Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome seeking a parliamentary review of the resolution to block the renomination of Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister.

Rangsiman had submitted the motion at the previous parliamentary meeting last month.

Wan Noor explained that according to parliamentary meeting regulations, a review of Parliament resolutions is not allowed.

“If it can be done, there would be endless requests for review and Parliament’s credibility would be questioned,” he explained.