Turmoil in Thailand as rivals derail election winner's PM bid

Move Forward Party Leader Pita Limjaroenrat poses for a photograph after an interview with Reuters in Bangkok, Thailand July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) -The leader of Thailand's election-winning Move Forward Party met fresh obstacles in his prime ministerial bid on Wednesday, as a court suspended him as a lawmaker and rivals successfully scuttled his re-nomination in parliament.

U.S.-educated liberal Pita Limjaroenrat has an extremely difficult path to the top job and must overcome fierce resistance from a royalist military at odds with his party's anti-establishment ambitions.