By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE PEOPLE’S ARE deciding for themselves tomorrow (Sep.1) whether to support either Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul or Pheu Thai MP Chaikasem Nitisiri for prime minister to replace Paetongtarn Shinawatra who was deposed by the Constitutional Court as head of government on Friday.
The People’s executive committee was scheduled to meet tomorrow to choose between the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob and the Pheu Thai under de facto party boss Thaksin Shinwatra for the total 143 People’s MPs to endorse the naming of either partisan candidate for prime minister.
People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut has recently confirmed all the MPs of the reformist party will cast yea votes in support of the naming of either Anutin or Chaikasem for prime minister without joining a new coalition government under leadership of either Newin’s camp or Thaksin’s camp or taking any ministerial seat in a new cabinet.
Nevertheless, the People’s offered votes for the new prime minister during a special House of Representatives meeting anticipated as soon as the upcoming Wednesday or Thursday will be practically conditional to the extent that the next head of government dissolve the House and call a general election in four months after the new government’s policy statement has been delivered at parliament and that a public referendum be held for the people nationwide to decide whether the coup junta-designed constitution of 2017 should be amended as a whole by way of a Constitution Amendment Committee.
A successful naming of the next prime minister will only need a simple majority vote from among a total of 495 performing lawmakers, currently accounting for 248.
Acting Pheu Thai-attached prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai, known as a right-hand man for the power-playing Thaksin, Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong and a few other Pheu Thai figures today (Aug.31) visited Nattapong and other executive members of the reformist party at their headquarters asking for their votes in support of Chaikasem for prime minister following Friday’s visit to the People’s by Anutin and Bhumjaithai secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob, son of the de facto party boss.
Both the Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have reportedly agreed to the People’s conditional support for the naming of either partisan candidate for prime minister.
In addition, the Pheu Thai offered to push for constitution amendment with references of the constitution of 1997, viewed by many as Thailand’s most democratic charter, as a prototype, to hold a public referendum for the people nationwide to decide whether the controversial MoU 43 and MoU 44 between Thailand and Cambodia should be scrapped and to speed up action against unprecedented riggings in last year’s senatorial elections and a chronic Khao Kradong land dispute, both of which would more or less adversely involve the Chidchob family.
In the meantime, Newin’s camp have apparently mustered more solid support from other parties on either side of the parliament chamber’s aisle, including the Klatham under de facto party boss Thammanat Prompao, the Palang Pracharath led by former deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan, a faction of the Ruam Thai Sang Chart led by Suchart Chomklin and the Thai Sang Thai plus a dozen renegade Pheu Thai MPs and a few splinter parties with only one MP or a few each.
Given the People’s support with 143 votes, the Bhumjaithai-led coalition will have more than 283 MPs at command,
The Pheu Thai have secured endorsement from the Democrats led by Chalermchai Sri-on, the Chart Thai Pattana led by Warawut Silpa-archa and the Prachachart to which House Speaker Wan Noor Matha is attached. Given the People’s support, the coalition led by the 140-MPs Pheu Thai will also have no less than 283 MPs on their side.
Following the 2023 general election, Thaksin’s camp were invariably viewed as double-crossers who dumped the then Move Forward from an original alliance of parties and conjured a surprise coalition with the “Uncles’ Camps” whom they had vehemently lambasted during electoral campaigns to set up the Pheu Thai-led government.
Meanwhile, the People’s leader said the reformist party will only deal with others in transparent, straightforward fashion exposable to the public as opposed to clandestine, surreptitious manners with hidden agenda pertaining to the wooing of the MPs’ support for the naming of a partisan figure for prime minister.
Nattapong was apparently responding to yesterday’s event in which Thaksin had telephoned Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Progressive Movement, desperately asking for him to see to it that the People’s MPs cast yea votes for Chaikasem as head of a new coalition government. Thanathorn is a former leader of the court-dissolved Future Forward from which the court-dissolved Move Forward and the People’s have resurrected.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and his team holding talks with People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut and his team at the latter’s headquarters.
First insert: People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut and his team.
Second insert: Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. All photos: Amarin TV
Also read:
Bhumjaithai tipped to outdo Pheu Thai in setting up new coalition govt
Paetongtarn ousted as PM by Constitutional Court over unethical, dishonest deal with Hun Sen
People’s offer conditional vote for new PM
Chaikasem ready to follow party’s decision
Attorney-General weighing whether to send Thaksin’s lese majeste case to Appellate Court
Tropical Storm Nongfa bringing more rain
38 desperate Khmers caught illegally crossing over to Thailand
