The leader of Thailand’s pro-reform party has had his final attempt to become prime minister blocked by military royalist opponents, as a court suspended him from parliament.
Pita Limjaroenrat’s Move Forward party won the most votes in May’s election after promising bold changes to remove the military from politics and overhaul a law that shields the powerful monarchy from criticism. But the party is strongly opposed by the conservative establishment and has faced significant challenges in trying to take power.
On Wednesday, Pita was expected to begin a second attempt to secure enough parliamentary support to become prime minister, but on the same day the constitutional court announced his suspension from parliament after accepting a case that alleged he was not eligible to run in the election.
Addressing parliament, Pita said he would respect the court order and urged other MPs to serve the public well. “I would like to say goodbye until we meet again,” he said, raising his fist as he left the assembly floor to cheers by his allies.
Referring to the date of the election, he said: “I think Thailand has changed and will never be the same as it was before 14 May. The people have won half of this journey and there is another half to go.”
Pita is temporarily suspended pending a court ruling, and has 15 days to respond, the court said in a statement.
In the afternoon, protesters dressed in orange, the colour of Move Forward, began to gather at Democracy Monument in Bangkok, where a banner was draped that said: “Pita consensus of the people”. One protester held a sign that read: “The PM must come from the majority votes of people.” Another accused the election commission, senators and other lawmakers of showing “hatred towards the electoral system that follows democracy”.
Many also vented their anger on social media. “How long do I have to live with the misery of this country, where the senators are bigger than the people?” wrote one commentator, referring to the unelected, military-appointed senate that has played a key role in blocking Pita’s attempt to assume office.
Pita was expected to contest a parliamentary vote to become prime minister on Wednesday, a necessary hurdle under Thai election rules that were written after the last coup and were tilted in favour of military-aligned candidates.
The allegations being investigated by the constitutional court centred on claims that Pita was ineligible to run in the election as he owned media shares – an allegation he denies.
The suspension did not affect Pita’s ability to be nominated to run for prime minister in Wednesday’s vote, as it was not necessary for candidates to be an MP. But, separately, Pita’s rivals in parliament argued he should not be allowed to run to become prime minister because he had already done so last week, and failed.
In a vote, the majority agreed he should not be allowed to run again, voiding his nomination.
Under Thailand’s election system, to become prime minister, it is necessary to secure majority backing from both the elected lower house , and the senate, which is stacked with military appointees.
Pita attempted to win their support in a vote last week but only 13 of 250 senators supported him. Many said they would not do so because of his promise to change Thailand’s lese-majesty law – under which criticising the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Some accused him of seeking to overthrow the royal family. Pita has denied this and has said the monarchy is being used as a pretext for blocking him by opponents who fear they will lose out under a Move Forward government.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, released before the parliamentary session, Pita pleaded with senators: “Please vote for the prime minister who represents the majority of the people.”
“In this dark time, where we don’t know what we can hold on to, there are two things that are always safe – stick to our principles, and to the people’s voice,” he said in a statement posted on social media that addressed senators directly.”
It is expected that Pheu Thai, which is part of Move Forward’s coalition bloc, will propose the property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as a prime minister candidate in a future vote. It is not clear if Pheu Thai, which is the party associated with the exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra, will remain aligned with Move Forward, or if their coalition agreement could break down. It is possible that Pheu Thai could form alliances with parties from the outgoing coalition.
Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, a former army chief and once a close ally of the outgoing prime minister and former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, has also been floated as a candidate by parliament’s military bloc. This would risk provoking protests from the public, who overwhelmingly rejected military-linked parties in the election.
