Thai Parliament convenes to vote for new prime minister with the incumbent leader expected to stay
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Parliament convened Thursday for more than a month as lawmakers prepared to vote on a new prime minister. general election This indicated a conservative shift in the country’s politics.
Incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul He is expected to receive enough support from the 500-member House of Representatives to remain in office. A simple majority is required to elect the Prime Minister.
According to official results, Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party won 191 seats and has since formed a coalition with several other parties to form a ruling majority. Its partners include the populist Pheu Thai Party, which ranks third with 74 seats.
The progressive People’s Party, which ranked second with 120 seats, announced that it would not join the government led by Bhumjaithai. However, the party is expected to nominate one of its candidates as a rival in Thursday’s election, which it says will only be a symbolic contest.
Anutin He became prime minister in September after serving in the cabinet of his predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra forced out of office For breach of ethics regarding mismanagement of relations with Cambodia. Anutin dissolved Parliament in December to call early elections after being threatened with a no-confidence vote.
He has since seen a rise in popularity after promoting himself as a defender of the nation. Thailand-Cambodia border conflictThis strengthened nationalist sentiments among voters.
Thailand had two fights with Cambodia last year over territorial claims on its borders.
Following the vote, the new prime minister is expected to take office a few days after receiving an official appointment from King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The new cabinet is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.
The new government is expected to face immediate challenges. A. war in the middle east The crisis, which broke out in February, has driven up global energy prices, increased the cost of goods and raised concerns about a potential oil shortage.
Another political uncertainty emerged after the Constitutional Court announced on Wednesday that it would decide whether last month’s elections were invalid.
The case stems from a petition filed by the Office of the Ombudsman with the Electoral Commission alleging that adding barcodes and QR codes to ballots could compromise voters’ privacy by violating election laws requiring secret ballots.
