Thailand's parliament made a decisive vote on August 22 to appoint Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party as the nation's fresh prime minister, breaking a prolonged deadlock that had persisted since the Move Forward Party (MFP) secured the largest number of seats in May's elections, DW reports.
Ascension of current PM
To secure the prime ministerial position, Srettha required a total of 375 votes from the combined upper and lower houses of the country. Initially, the Pheu Thai party, which secured the second position in the elections, had formed an alliance with the MFP, alongside six other parties. However, in early August, the Pheu Thai party opted to forge a new alliance excluding the MFP, as the MFP's candidate for prime minister encountered repeated blockades.
The Pheu Thai party now leads an expansive coalition comprising 11 parties, including two that were previously allied with its past military opponents. As per Thailand's constitution, implemented by the military, both the lower and upper houses of the parliament vote concurrently to select the prime minister.
The MFP gained favor among voters by promising reforms to the country's stringent laws on royal defamation and the dismantling of business monopolies. It garnered support from young, urban Thais who had endured years of military rule. However, the party's ambitions collided with the resistance of the influential establishment in the country.
The Senate, whose members were handpicked by the previous junta, blocked the MFP's prime ministerial candidate. Several other parties declined to back any government that involved the MFP, thus pushing the party with the highest number of seats back into the opposition.
Arrest of the former PM
The vote held on August 22 occurred shortly after former Prime Minister and founder of the Pheu Thai party, Thaksin Shinawatra, received an eight-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court. Thaksin was swiftly apprehended and taken to the Supreme Court upon his return to Thailand after 15 years in exile. His sentence was based on previous convictions he had received in absentia.
In 1998, he established the Thai Rak Thai party, which later transformed into the Pheu Thai party. Thaksin was ousted in a coup 17 years ago, prompting him to go into self-imposed exile. The new prime minister, Srettha, now represents the face of Thaksin's political movement.
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