No second chance for pita
Thailand’s election winner will not become prime minister
07/19/2023 2:27 p.m
After his defeat in parliament by the military veto, it is now clear: Thailand’s election winner, Pita Limjaroenrat, may not stand a second time and can therefore no longer become head of government. It is unclear how things will continue in the Southeast Asian country.
Thailand’s pro-democracy winner, Pita Limjaroenrat, has no chance of becoming head of government in the Southeast Asian kingdom. Several senators had demanded in the morning not to let the 42-year-old compete a second time after his defeat in the first vote last week. They argued that this contradicted the rules of Parliament. The Chamber of Deputies and Senate voted 394 to 312 to grant the request. Actually, the politician should have faced a second round of voting in the morning.
Pita, who was seen by many as a beacon of hope, clearly won the parliamentary elections in May with his progressive party Move Forward Party. With a coalition of eight parties, he has a stable majority in the Chamber of Deputies. However, the head of government in Thailand is not only elected by the 500 elected MPs, but also by 250 senators appointed by the military. The army passed this constitutional clause after its coup in 2014. The senators are considered conservative, only a few support progressive forces.
It was unclear what would happen next. It was not initially known whether an election round planned for Thursday should take place with another top candidate. Demonstrators have gathered at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, known for previous mass protests. According to observers, they spoke of “political sabotage”.