Thai parliament fails to elect new prime minister

Thailand's parliament failed to pick a new prime minister as the sole candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, the popular leader of the Move Forward party, was unable to secure majority support in parliament.

Pita, who still faces a court case that may affect his election, had 324 votes among members of the legislature. This is still short of the 376 votes needed to elect a prime minister and form a government.

Parliament is expected to hold another vote next week, and Pita can vie for the same post if nominated.

Pita, Move Forward's charismatic leader who enjoys broad support among Thai youth, is a former executive of Grab Thailand. The 42-year-old businessman led Move Forward to victory, the party that won the most votes during the May 14 elections.

Analysts said one of the factors that kept Pita from securing a parliamentary majority is his proposal to amend the royal defamation lese majeste laws. The monarchy is highly regarded in Thailand.

Punchada Sirivunnabood, associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University, said Pita's proposed policies do not appeal to politically conservative legislators. However, she believes that Pita will again cast his bid for prime minister and will continue to enjoy the support of his coalition.

The coalition wants to respect the people's vote. "His party won the largest number of seats," Punchada said.

Move Forward secured 151 seats, making it the largest party in the House of Representatives. It has teamed up with Pheu Thai, a party closely associated with exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which won 141 seats. Six smaller parties also joined the Move Forward-led coalition.

Short of majority

The coalition holds 312 seats, but this is still short of the majority votes needed. The bicameral legislature is composed of 750 lawmakers — 500 are elected in the lower house, while the upper house or Senate is composed of 250 members appointed by the Royal Thai Military.

"Pita is popular among the Thai people," Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the political science faculty at Ubon Ratchathani University, said.

Despite the initial setback, Titipol believes that the coalition will continue to nominate Pita as prime minister. "They're hoping to convince (other legislators) to vote for Pita," he said. "They can keep nominating him unless there's another candidate."