The Speaker of the Parliament has postponed the upcoming parliamentary election for a new prime minister, initially scheduled for Friday.
This followed the Constitutional Court’s decision to delay its ruling on the parliamentary resolution that denied the reappointment of the Move Forward Party’s (MFP) leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, as prime minister.
On Thursday, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha communicated that Friday’s election had to be postponed due to the pending court judgment on Mr Pita’s nomination denial.
“The court has yet to rule on the complaints about the prime ministerial vote and a request (by the Ombudsman) to postpone the next vote for prime minister,” Mr Wan conveyed.
In a statement released Thursday morning, the Constitutional Court indicated that the complaints necessitated thorough review.
The court’s statement detailed that it had instructed its office to investigate relevant information to support its consideration. The matters at hand concern the constitutional monarchy, and a decision from the court is anticipated next Wednesday, August 9.
Lodging complaints in the case were Associate Professor Pornchai Theppanya and Assistant Professor Boonsong Chalaythorn, both of whom voted for the MFP in the general election on May 14. MFP MP Panyarat Pusitanont was also a complainant.
Their petitions, filed via the Ombudsman, challenged the parliamentary refusal of Mr Pita’s renomination as it impacted their constitutional rights.
They sought a court mandate directing parliament to delay its prime minister election until the court made its decision. Last month, the Ombudsman passed these complaints on to the charter court.
In a joint sitting of the House and Senate on July 13, Mr Pita failed to secure a majority vote for the prime minister role.
His renomination was submitted on July 19, but the parliament refused it on the same day, citing a parliamentary session rule that barred the resubmission of a failed motion within the same parliamentary term.
Mr Pita was initially nominated for the premiership by a coalition of eight parties, including his own successful MFP and the runner-up Pheu Thai Party.
However, the Pheu Thai Party declared on Wednesday its departure from the eight-party coalition, announcing its intention to nominate its own candidate, Srettha Thavisin, for the prime minister’s position in the next parliamentary vote.
