Thailand faces political deadlock after election winner blocked from power

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Thailand’s national assembly has rejected election winner Pita Limjaroenrat’s bid to become prime minister, leaving the country mired in an uneasy stasis between democracy and military domination.

Unelected senators chosen by the former military junta refused to vote for Pita — a Harvard-educated businessman — citing his desire to reform strict lèse majesté laws against criticism of Thailand’s monarchy.

The senators’ opposition highlights the risk of prolonged political turmoil in south-east Asia’s second-largest economy, with democrats unable to take control but the military rulers reluctant to suppress them overtly given their clear election victory and widespread public support.

“The powerful conservative forces arrayed against Pita have made some last-minute power plays,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “All the old elites see Pita and his Move Forward party as an existential threat.”

Move Forward was the clear winner of elections in May, dominating constituencies in the capital and taking 151 out of 500 seats in the lower house with 38 per cent of the vote. Its allies in the Pheu Thai party won 141 seats with 29 per cent of the vote. Pheu Thai is a successor to the movement of Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist former prime minister.

However, the prime ministerial vote was held jointly with 250 senators appointed by the military junta, so candidates needed 376 votes to win. Pita received 324 votes, with 13 senators backing him and all the rest either abstaining or voting against him.

Political debate in the run-up to the vote turned on the lèse majesté law, with the Constitutional Court agreeing to hear a case that argues Move Forward’s proposals are themselves a violation.

“We are here today because the monarchy protects us,” said Chada Thaised, a member of parliament for the Bhumjaithai party during the assembly debate.

The Constitutional Court also agreed to hear a second case targeting Pita personally over alleged ownership of shares in a media company, which would disqualify him from politics.

“We are not giving up,” Pita said after the vote. “There’s a lot of pressure on the senators and around 40 of them didn’t attend.”

Hundreds of Pita’s supporters gathered in a park opposite the national assembly, roaring their approval and holding three fingers in the air as a speaker demanded: “Senators get out, Prayuth get out, election commission get out!” Former general Prayuth Chan-ocha remains in power as Thailand’s caretaker prime minister.

The assembly is expected to vote again next week. Analysts said the deadlock was likely to be prolonged. One possible scenario, said Thitinan, was that Pheu Thai would eventually abandon Move Forward and form a government with parties aligned to the military.