Pita Limjaroenrat
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Thai reformist Pita Limjaroenrat loses PM vote
Thailand’s parliament on Thursday rejected election winner Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister. After hours of discussions but a surprisingly swift voting process, Pita failed to secure the 375 parliamentary votes needed to become Thailand’s 30th premier, despite his reformist party winning the popular vote in the general election. The political challenger rode a wave of support in May that saw voters emphatically reject almost a decade of army-backed rule under Prayut Chan-o-cha, who took power in a 2014 coup. But the outcome had become increasingly inevitable, with signs conservative MPs of the lower house and junta-appointed senators would not give him their support. Ahead of the parliamentary vote, nearby highway overpasses had razor-wire placed on them, while the parliament compound was ringed by containers designed to deter demonstrators, a sign of the tensions around the event. Only three years ago, massive pro-democracy protests erupted in Bangkok after a court dissolved Pita’s Move Forward Party’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party. “We Thais have the right to voice our opinions since we’re a democratic country,” said MFP supporter Patchaya Saelim, 17, outside parliament ahead of the vote. “We can gather to protest.” – Unclear path – The path forward remains…
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Thai parliament votes for PM with reformist frontrunner facing hurdles
UPDATES WITH PARLIAMENT OPENING, PITA QUOTES Thailand’s parliament opened Thursday to vote for a prime minister, with frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat saying he was confident despite a barrage of last-minute hurdles that could undo his bid for the premiership. The coalition bloc led by Pita’s Move Forward Party (MFP) will face off against more established parties and junta-appointed senators, spooked by the progressives’ shock election victory in May and their determination to amend Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws. On a day of high political drama Wednesday, Pita was hit with the threat of parliamentary suspension while the Constitutional Court accepted a case accusing him and his party of attempting to overthrow the monarchy. “I am confident in myself that I will work with my full capacity to respond to people’s hopes and the support that they gave to me,” Pita told reporters ahead of the session opening. “I will try my best in showing my vision and explaining all senator’s doubts.” House speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha opened the parliamentary session, welcoming politicians ahead of the vote, which is not expected to begin until late afternoon. Despite the MFP’s win at the polls, with Thais rejecting the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha,…
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