bangkok — The Thai parliament convened on Thursday as lawmakers prepared to vote for a new prime minister, a month after a general election that showed a conservative shift in the country’s politics.
Incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is expected to get enough support from the 500-member House of Representatives to stay in power. A simple majority is required to elect the Prime Minister.
Anutin’s Bhumjaitai party won 191 seats and formed a coalition with several other parties to form a ruling majority, according to official results. Among its partners, the popular Pheu Thai Party came third with 74 seats.
The Progressive People’s Party, which came second with 120 seats, said it would not join a Bhumajaitai-led government. However, the party is expected to nominate one of its candidates as a rival in Thursday’s polls, which it says is only a symbolic contest.
Anutin became prime minister in September after serving in the cabinet of his predecessor, Patongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for ethics violations over mishandling relations with Cambodia. Anutin dissolved parliament in December to call early elections after being threatened with a no-confidence vote.
He has seen a surge in popularity after his self-presentation as the nation’s protector during the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict, which strengthened nationalist sentiment among voters.
Thailand fought Cambodia twice last year over territorial rights along their border.
After the vote, the new prime minister is expected to take office a few days after receiving a formal appointment from King Maha Vajiralongkorn. A new cabinet is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.
The incoming government is expected to face immediate challenges. The war in the Middle East, which began in February, has pushed up global energy prices, raising commodity prices and raising concerns about potential oil shortages.
Another political uncertainty also arose after the Constitutional Court said on Wednesday it would rule on whether to invalidate last month’s election.
The case stems from a petition filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against the Election Commission alleging that adding barcodes and QR codes to ballot papers could violate election laws requiring secret ballots and compromise voter anonymity.
(tags to translate)Election
