Thailand prepares for 3rd PM vote next week

After repeated delays, the third vote for Thailand's next prime minister will take place on Aug 22, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said on Wednesday.

After a discussion with the Second Vice-President of the Senate Supachai Somcharoen, Wan Muhamad said the parliamentary legal team will convene on Thursday to deliberate on the Constitutional Court's decision made on Wednesday.

"Whips from the Senate and various political parties will also convene to discuss the forthcoming voting for the next prime minister," he added.

The decision was made after the Election Commission's inquiry committee proposed to dismiss the petition against Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat on the media firm ITV's shareholding.

The inquiry committee was tasked with determining whether Pita's holding of 42,000 shares in the defunct ITV breached Section 151 of the organic law on the election of prime minister, as the shares were held while Pita was running in the May 14 general election.

In proposing that the commission drop the petition, the committee reasoned that taking legal action in accordance with Section 151 would result in a criminal case proceeding that required clear witnesses and evidence.

Also, the committee did not find that ITV was operating a business nor generating income from any media operation, according to the news release by the National News Bureau on Wednesday.

On July 13 and July 19, the only nominee for prime minister, Pita, failed to gain support from the majority of parliament.

Pheu Thai, the former alliance of the Move Forward party, announced it was parting ways with MFP after the rejection of Pita's renomination. Pheu Thai is now leading the move to form a new government with 11 other parties.

In a recent statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Move Forward made the criticism that almost all traditional ruling parties were being brought together to form the government. "This is contrary to the will of the people, clearly expressed on the day of the election on May 14," it said.

"The change that Thai people are looking forward to still takes more time to achieve, as the Move Forward party is very unlikely to win its battle this time. Now, people's focus is the candidates for the next vote," Suthiphand Chirathivat, emeritus professor of economics and executive director of the ASEAN Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University, said.

Uncertainty prevails

Pheu Thai's Secretary-General Prasert Chanthararuangthong confirmed recently that Srettha Thavisin, former chief executive of property developer Sansiri, will be their candidate, in response to speculation on the possible nomination of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Although Pheu Thai is now leading the formation of a new government, the Bangkok Post recently quoted an insider, saying that an unexpected turn may occur before the vote. It said Palang Pracharath Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Prawit Wongsuwon could be the new prime minister.

Voravit Chamroenlert from the Federation of Thai Industries said it could be anyone's game at this point.

"The final result is still unpredictable. Who will be the one standing on the stage is not the main factor, but who owns the major power of the country behind the scenes is the key," Voravit said. "In my opinion, Prawit still has a chance."