Pheu Thai to hold meeting with coaltion parties next week

The Pheu Thai Party will hold a meeting with its seven coalition partners next week to notify outcomes of recent talks between Pheu Thai and other parties outside the coalition bloc and senators, and will let the Move Forward Party (MFP) decide on the coalition’s future.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said on Friday that his party will coordinate with its allied parties to set the date and time of the meeting. Pheu Thai had held talks with other parties and the Senate in an effort to seek their support for the next parliament vote for a prime minister.

Mr Phumtham said the other parties and the senators involved in the talks had a common response that they strongly opposed any move to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, and they would not give support to Pheu Thai if the MFP remains in a coalition government.

“We will report to a meeting of the eight-party coalition of what we heard from the talks. We will ask the meeting what to do next. How will the other coalition parties, particularly the MFP, help find a way out for use.  We want the MFP to make a decision in this issue,” said the Pheu Thai deputy leader.

Mr Phumtham’s move came after after Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha was preparing an agenda for a parliament session on Aug 4 for a vote for prime minister. However, the parliamentary vote would be held or not depend on whether the Constitutional Court would accept a petition related to the previous rejected renomination for prime minister of MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

If the court does not accept the petition, parliament could hold a vote for prime minister the following day, said Mr Wan, If it accepts the petition, a parliamentary vote would not take place until the court issues its ruling, possibly a week later.

The MFP won 151 House seats in the May 14 general election. It teamed up with Pheu Thai, which came second with 141 House seats, and six other parties to attempt the formation of the next government. Their coalition had 312 of the 500 House seats.

But Move Forward failed to win a majority vote from the elected House and the military-appointed Senate for the premiership of its sole prime ministerial candidate and leader Pita. 

MFP recently decided to let Pheu Thai nominate its prime ministerial candidate and take the lead in forming the next government.

Last Saturday, Pheu Thai led by its leader Cholnan Srikaew met three parties — Bhumjaithai, Chartpattanakla and United Thai Nation — at Pheu Thai headquarters to seek their support. However, they set conditions that they would not support Pheu Thai if the MFP remained in the eight-party bloc.