Global Courant
BANGKOK — Thailand’s progressive front-runner for the premiership told supporters on Sunday he “would not step down” ahead of a parliamentary vote this week that will determine whether he will lead the country.
Mr Pita Limjaroenrat’s pro-democracy Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in the May 14 elections, but there are no guarantees that it will be able to form a government or that he will be the prime minister become.
MFP’s eight-party coalition has a total of 312 seats in the lower house.
However, it falls short of the 376 votes required in both houses of parliament to support Mr Pita for the top position.
He faces opposition from the army-appointed 250-member senate over his party’s controversial push to reform Thailand’s royal defamation laws and plans to shake up corporate monopolies.
Meanwhile, he is under investigation outside parliament over claims he was ineligible to run because he allegedly owned shares in a now-defunct media company. Legislators are not allowed to own media stocks.
Pita said the kingdom is facing a momentous day this week when both the upper and lower houses will vote.
“If you don’t step back, I won’t,” he told hundreds of supporters who had gathered in central Bangkok in the rain.
“If we make the right decision and give Thailand a chance, our country will develop,” he told the crowd.
But if the decision was wrong, he said Thailand’s cycle of poor democracy would continue.
“I don’t know how long we have to wait for the golden opportunity of July 13 to come again,” he added, referring to the date of the vote.
Mr. Pita urged senators to remember “we are all people’s politicians”.
“My thanks go to those who say they are on the side of the people and side with the majority of the people,” he said.
After his speech, Mr. Pita told reporters that he had found “more agreement” with the senators.
“Hopefully in the four remaining days we can come to a consensus and move this country forward,” he said.
