BANGKOK (Reuters) – An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand’s next government on Monday reaffirmed its backing for Pita Limjaroenrat to become premier, Pita said on Monday, despite his defeat last week in a parliamentary vote.
Pita, leader of election winners Move Forward, failed in his initial bid to win the requisite support of more than half of the combined lower house and military-appointed upper house or Senate.
The legislature will hold another vote on Wednesday.
After a meeting with the alliance, Pita said he was confident the Senate could not block his re-nomination for PM.
However, he added that if he could not secure more votes from the Senate in his second bid, he would let ally Pheu Thai party “take action”.
At the weekend, he raised the prospect of a political ally leading the new government if he fails to become prime minister.
Pheu Thai won the second-largest share of votes in the May 14 election.
Only 13 senators backed 42-year-old Pita in last week’s vote, with the rest voting against him or abstaining, which his party said indicated some were acting under duress.
Pita, a liberal from the private sector, has won huge youth support for his plan to shake up politics and bring reforms to sectors and institutions long considered untouchable.
That includes a law that prohibits insulting the monarchy –by far Move Forward’s most contentious policy and a big obstacle in its attempts to persuade legislators to back Pita.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng and Orathai Sriring; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
