Move Forward Party submits a new bid to remove Senate’s PM vote

The Move Forward Party (MFP), a social democratic and progressive political party in Thailand, has submitted a proposal to parliament, seeking to remove the military-appointed senators from their power in order to co-select the prime minister of the country.

Earlier, Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, failed to get enough support to back his bid to become the prime minister. On Thursday, Thailand’s parliament rejected the bid by Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister.

The proposal to repeal Section 272 of the constitution, which allows the 250-member Senate to participate in the appointment of a prime minister, came after Pita Limjaroenrat failed to get support. Reportedly, it was the seventh attempt to strip the Senate of this power to date.

Chaithawat Tulathon, Move Forward party secretary-general, said that the party’s MPs have signed in support of amending the charter to remove the Senate of this power.

Pita Limjaroenrat failed to get the 375 parliamentary votes needed to become Thailand’s prime minister. Chaithawat Tulathon said that 43 senators did not attend the meeting on July 13 to select the new prime minister.

Chaithawat Tulathon reportedly said, “As the senators clearly expressed that they did not want to exercise their voting rights, we are proposing a solution. We believe it will be a way out for senators and for our parliamentary system.”

Reportedly, Pheu Thai, the third incarnation of a Thai political party, had no objection to the new bid submitted by the MFP. According to Chaithawat Tulathon, Bhumjaithai, a Thai political party, and the Democrats, the oldest party in Thailand, would also support such a charter amendment.

Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand, has already accepted the new petition. He said that the petition would be put on the agenda after examination and verification.