Thai PM hopeful Pita cannot be nominated twice, senator says

Pita Limjaroenrat cannot be nominated again, according to some of the senators in the military-appointed Senate. - Bloomberg

BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thai politician Pita Limjaroenrat, who fell short in his bid to secure the country’s top political office last week, cannot be nominated again when the parliament reconvenes to vote afresh, according to Senator Seri Suwannapanont.

"We can’t nominate the same name twice,” Seri told reporters Monday, citing a parliament regulation, which according to him bars a motion that fails to pass once from being raised again in the same session.

The view, shared by some of his colleagues in the military-appointed Senate and whose support is key to picking the next leader, highlights further obstacles to Pita as he seeks a re-vote on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old leader of the Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the May general election, faces a sizable opposition from conservative forces due to the party’s election promise of amending the country’s royal insult law.

Despite Seri’s claim, the Thai constitution does not limit how many times a candidate can be nominated for premiership, nor does it specify a deadline for when the next leader has to be selected by. House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has not given a final say on the matter.

Despite being the lone candidate last week, Pita’s bid for the top job was thwarted by the 250-member Senate, with many of the members rejecting him outright or abstaining from voting, citing his proposal to amend the controversial lese majeste law as unacceptable.

In the latest twist, Pita on Saturday said he is willing to step aside and let his coalition partner Pheu Thai Party take the lead in government formation, should he fail in his attempts. His party has separately submitted a bill seeking to curb the Senate’s voting power.

Move Forward and Pheu Thai were scheduled to meet on Monday, followed by another meeting of the eight-party coalition to discuss the upcoming second vote for prime minister, according to Pheu Thai’s deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai.

Meanwhile, the constitutional court is also set to consider, in its weekly meeting on Wednesday, whether to accept a case filed by the Election Commission last week that could see Pita disqualified as a lawmaker for an alleged breach of election rules. If the court accepts the case, it may also order Pita to be suspended on the same day the parliament convenes. - Bloomberg