The chances were never high, but Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat has failed to win the first ballot of MPs and senators. With one senator having resigned, Pita needed to garner a constitutional minimum of votes across the two houses. He garnered votes, with MPs and 13 senators voting for him. Multiple MPs and senators argued that the parties that do not favor amendment of received 25 million votes, more than the MFP had gained.
Although the Move Forward-led coalition remained unified behind Pita, it was not enough to get him across the line. Even though there was no other candidate nominated for prime minister, the constitution requires a nominated candidate to receive a majority of the vote across both houses — votes with the absence of one senator — in order to be appointed to office.
Despite having no competitor and majority support in the lower house, Pita could not automatically become prime minister. The issue with Pita losing this vote is not simply that he lost, but the manner in which he lost. Move Forward had projected a sunny optimism about the vote, and key members of the party had claimed that they had all the necessary Senate votes locked down. They had needed over 60 Senate votes for Pita to win.
However, by winning only 13 senators, the coalition has now received a clear indication that the route to victory may simply be too distant to bridge. Pita could be re-nominated for further rounds of voting. A deputy speaker from Pheu Thai has indicated that Pheu Thai would support Pita in three rounds of voting, and if his candidacy is still unsuccessful, the coalition would have to meet to decide on an alternative course of action. Whether or not Pheu Thai will stick to this plan remains to be seen, but what is evident is that there is no appetite for unlimited rounds of voting.
Indeed, senators and MPs from other parties are also likely to object to re-voting on a candidate that they have already rejected. Yet the fact that so few senators agreed to vote for him likely indicates that convincing over fifty more senators may well be an impossibility. Who, then, will be the most likely candidate? We can start by ruling out the candidates who will not be prime minister: Prayut recently announced his retirement from politics, while Jurin has quit as head of the Democrats.
