- By Joel Guinto & Kelly Ng
- BBC News
Jul 13, 2023 at 1:08 am BST
Updated 4 hours ago
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Mr Pita has suffered from voter rejection for nearly a decade of Conservative rule
The reformist winner of Thailand’s election was nominated for the post of prime minister at the opening of parliament.
Pita Limjaroenrat won a victory in May as voters rejected conservative military rule that has prevailed since a 2014 coup.
To achieve a majority, however, he needs the support of lawmakers appointed by the same military leaders.
Mr. Pita is also facing last-minute legal challenges that could disqualify him.
His coalition has 312 votes, 64 fewer than the 376 votes required to be elected prime minister.
However, the leader of the progressive Move Forward party said he was confident ahead of the parliamentary vote.
“I will do my best to show my vision and explain any doubts the senator has,” he said.
Mr Pita also said there were attempts “in various ways to prevent the majority government of the people from running the country”.
“This is quite normal for the road to power in our country… I am encouraged and hopeful to put things right until my dream and the people’s can be realized,” he told Thai Rath TV station.
Aside from the votes he would need, Mr Pita seemed in for a further blow to his ambitions on Wednesday when Thailand’s notoriously conservative constitutional court accepted an electoral commission recommendation to disqualify him.
The court says it is currently considering two complaints against the Move Forward leader; one that he owns shares in a media company — even though that company hasn’t functioned for 15 years.
The other complaint said Move Forward’s proposal to change the draconian royal defamation laws to lese majeste, which have jailed hundreds of critics of the monarchy, amounts to an attempt to overthrow Thailand’s entire political order.
It’s unclear when the Constitutional Court will consider the case, but technically, under Thai law, Mr Pita can still become prime minister even if he’s removed from parliament.
The 42-year-old Harvard graduate and former technology executive has led droves of orange-clad supporters to large rallies across the country ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary vote.
“I don’t know how long we have to wait for the golden opportunity of July 13 to come again,” Mr Pita said at a Sunday rally outside one of Bangkok’s largest shopping malls.
Ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary session, outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha announced his retirement from politics after leading the Southeast Asian country for nine years.
Mr Prayut was the army chief who carried out the 2014 coup to overthrow the country’s civilian leaders, who have been accused of massive corruption. It was Thailand’s second military uprising since 2006 and in both cases a member of the powerful Shinawatra political dynasty was removed from power.
Indeed, one of the largest blocs in Mr Pita’s coalition is led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Decades-old lèse-majesté laws, which can jail people for speaking out against the monarchy, have been strictly enforced under Mr Prayut’s leadership, and critics said this was being used to stifle freedom of expression.
Mr Pita described Mr Prayut’s tenure as Thailand’s “lost decade” and vowed to end the cycle of corruption and military insurgency in the country. He promised reforms that would “demilitarize, demonopolize and decentralize” the country.
One of his most controversial campaign promises is changing the lèse-majesté laws, which will prove difficult as the monarchy is held in high esteem by Thais.