Pheu Thai to field Srettha for PM in 3rd round if Pita fails again

[reader]

From The Nation

The Pheu Thai Party would nominate Srettha Thavisin in the third round of the election for prime minister if Move Forward Party's PM candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, fails to win the post in the second round on Wednesday, Pheu Thai PM candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Tuesday.

She was commenting about the hypothetical scenario of Pita failing once again to secure at least 63 votes from senators or MPs outside the eight-party bloc.

On Monday, all the coalition partners reaffirmed their stand to field and vote for Pita in the second round, while the coalition leader promised to step aside for the Pheu Thai to lead the coalition if he failed in his second bid to win the prime minister election.

Paetongtarn said Pheu Thai would try its best to support Pita in the PM vote but if Pita fails, she would propose to a meeting of the Pheu Thai board to nominate Srettha in the next round of the PM vote after Pheu Thai becomes the coalition leader.

Paetongtarn is the first PM candidate of Pheu Thai, Srettha the second and Chaikasem Nitisiri the third.

“I don’t want any post in the executive. All three PM candidates are willing to help with the work no matter what the position,” Paetongtarn said.

She said that she was not aware of a group of Pheu Thai MPs from the northeastern provinces wanting to push her to the PM post but she admitted frankly that it would not be easy to lead the country in the current situation.

“So, I think the best choice is Srettha. He will be able to tackle the economic woes and solve various problems in no time if the Pheu Thai becomes the coalition leader. If not, Pheu Thai would still be willing to support the Move Forward-led coalition,” Paetongtarn said.

She was confident that she would be able to explain the situation to the northeastern MPs.

 

[Londoner]

Anyone to get rid of the junta. I just hope that they don't give in to the royalists, as has been suggested by some.

[fedssocr]

it's fairly transparent at this point. Clearly none of these recalcitrant senators has any reason to vote for Pita if they know some one from PT is going to be next in line for nomination. What is still up in the air is who will be in the governing coalition with PT in charge? Do the 8 parties remain with MFP included? 

I wonder if they will try to change the charter again to get rid of the current senate. 

[reader]

From The Nation

Srettha ready to be next PM, suggests Pheu Thai may ditch Move Forward

Srettha Thavisin, one of Pheu Thai’s three prime ministerial candidates, suggested on Thursday that pulling out of the eight-party coalition led by the Move Forward Party could be inevitable and said he was ready to be Thailand’s next prime minister.

“I am a PM candidate for Pheu Thai. I must be ready to take care of economic matters as assigned by the party,” he told reporters.

A property tycoon turned politician, Srettha was also asked to comment on the possibility of “pushing Move Forward out of the coalition” after its PM candidate Pita Limjaroenrat failed to secure majority support from both Houses of Parliament.

“That’s simple math. You may count by yourself. Everyone knows about that,” he said, adding that it was “too early” to conclude that Pheu Thai would nominate him for the parliamentary vote to select the next prime minister in a coalition that excluded Move Forward.

Srettha said representatives from the eight coalition partners would soon discuss their next joint move. If they agree to allow Pheu Thai to nominate its candidate, the party’s executive board would select one of its three PM candidates for the vote.

At the joint parliamentary meeting on Wednesday, Pita was renominated for voting following his failed first attempt last Thursday. But most parliamentarians voted not to allow a second vote on the grounds that it was a repeated motion that should not be submitted in the same parliamentary session.

Srettha said on Thursday that amending Article 112 of the Penal Code – also known as the lese majeste law – must not be a policy of a coalition led by Pheu Thai because it could prevent it from gaining votes from many MPs and senators.

Political parties outside of the Move Forward-led coalition and several senators announced that they would not vote for any candidate from a party that seeks to abolish or amend the lese majeste law. Some senators argued that changes proposed by Move Forward would undermine the monarchy and national security.

Srettha stressed that the eight-party coalition would “remain united until any change”.

When asked if the coalition has done its utmost in backing Pita’s bid to become prime minister, Srettha said: “Legally speaking, it seems to be so.”

He also said that the coalition must be careful in nominating its next PM candidate as it has become a precedent that each candidate can be nominated only once during a parliamentary session.

[fedssocr]

I guess these Senators really don't have any incentive to vote for anyone until they get to some old general or other. 

I wonder if PT creates another coalition without MFP, would MFP go ahead and vote for the PT candidate just to get things moving forward, as it were.