BANGKOK: Thailand’s Pita Limjaroenrat failed on Thursday in his initial bid to become Thailand’s next prime minister, after he was unable to secure the required endorsement of more than half of the bicameral parliament.
Pita, leader of election winners Move Forward, was unopposed in the contest but could not muster the required support, with a host of abstentions and votes against him. Parliament is expected to hold another vote next week, which Pita can contest if nominated again.
Move Forward and its alliance partner, Pheu Thai, thrashed conservative pro-military parties in the May 14 election, seen widely as a resounding rejection of nearly a decade of government led or backed by the royalist military.
But Pita’s determination to pursue Move Forward’s agenda puts him at odds with a powerful nexus of conservatives and old-money families that have loomed large over Thai politics for decades, and will be almost certain to try to thwart him on Thursday.
His alliance controls 312 seats, but to get the required 375 votes he needs support from some of the 249 members of the conservative-leaning upper house Senate, which was appointed by the military after a 2014 coup. There were 676 lawmakers in attendance for the vote.
“I will do my best to match the hope and encouragement from the people,” Pita told reporters as he arrived at parliament.
“I’ll use this opportunity to find a consensus.”
