Thailand’s bicameral parliament starts vote to endorse Pita Limjaroenrat of Move Forward party as the next PM.
The 42-year-old he faced a tough battle on Thursday with his eight-party coalition short of the absolute majority in the 749-member bicameral parliament.
There were 676 legislators in attendance for the vote on Thursday, according to local media reports.
The vote marks a pivotal moment in the aftermath of Move Forward’s shock election success in Thailand’s general election on May 14, with fears for renewed political instability in a country that has seen more than a dozen military coups in the past century.
The progressive party and its alliance partner, Pheu Thai, thrashed conservative promilitary parties in the vote in a victory 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 anti-establishment agenda puts him at odds with a powerful nexus of conservatives and old-money families that have loomed large over Thai politics for decades.
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.
Many legislators are opposed to Move Forward’s agenda, including a controversial plan to amend a law that prohibits insults to the monarchy.
“I will do my best to match the hope and encouragement from the people,” Pita told reporters as he arrived at parliament.
“I will do my best to explain to those senators who still have questions. I’ll use this opportunity to find a consensus.”
Another hurdle emerged on Wednesday when the Election Commission recommended Pita’s suspension from parliament over allegations he broke campaign rules, a move Move Forward branded an “abuse of power”.
The recommendation followed a probe into Pita’s ownership of shares in a media company. Legislators are not allowed to own media shares.
The station has not broadcast since 2007 and Pita has said the shares were inherited from his father.
He defended himself again in parliament on Thursday and urged legislators to respect the people’s will.
“This is not a vote for me nor my party but a vote for opening a chance to return normalcy to Thailand,” he said.
If Pita loses the first vote, the House speaker will table session after session until a prime minister emerges – raising the spectre of weeks of deadlock and economic uncertainty in Thailand.
His alliance has had disagreements in recent weeks and if he fails on Thursday, it must decide whether to back him again in another vote slated for July 19, or put forward another candidate, testing its cohesion as it seeks to form the next government.