Pita calls on people to urge senators to vote him for PM

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

MOVE FORWARD LEADER/PRIME minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat today (July 15) posted a video clip online calling on the people for help by encouraging senators to vote him for prime minister next Wednesday.

Pita who failed to get enough votes to land him the elected premiership in Thursday’s joint House/Senate meeting asked the people on social media to send peaceful, positive messages online to recommend that the senators should observe most voters’ consensus expressed in the May 14 election simply by casting yea votes for him next Wednesday.

Only 13 out of a total of 249 senators cast yea votes for the Move Forward leader whilst all the others either did not attend the joint session or abstained from voting or cast nay votes against him. Pita’s attempted rise to power was denied with 51 votes short of a minimum of 375.

“The people’s unified forces are needed for our mission to succeed in setting up the people’s government. The future of a Move Forward-led government now lies in your hands. Let’s send messages to the senators urging them to change their minds,” says Pita’s latest clip.

The prime minister-designate told the people to not only encourage the unelected lawmakers to lend him support for head of government but to strongly advise them to approve the Move Forward legislation to amend the military-designed constitution’s Section 272 to rid themselves of the power to pick a prime minister.

Pita maintained that the Move Forward-led coalition partners who won a combined 27 million votes in the general election should be ultimately given the legitimate right to run the country and that no senators should stand in the way of democratic rule.

Nevertheless, Pita said he may leave it to a Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister to be named one in support of the Move Forward MPs if his attempted rise to power finally fell through.

Following the nationwide election, the Move Forward, the No.1 largest elected party, spearheaded a coalition of eight partners at command of 312 MPs including those of the Pheu Thai as the second largest one.

CAPTION:

Move Forward leader/prime minister-designate Pita Limjaroenrat. Top photo: Thai Rath, Front Page photo: Matichon

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