The Democratic Party of the outgoing leader Abhisit joins it prayut camp, which clears the way for the junta leader to become prime minister again.
The Democrats' decision to join the House of Representatives coalition led by palang pracharath, was announced yesterday by party leader Jurin Laksanavisit. In exchange for their support, they receive the cabinet posts Agriculture and Trade and the constitution is amended. They will also receive the Ministry of Social Affairs, a post as Deputy Prime Minister and four State Secretariats (Education, Health, Home Affairs and Transport).
The party met yesterday for five hours about joining PPRP, which was a clear 'yes' by 61 to 16 votes and 2 abstentions. Former Prime Minister Abhisit tried to convince his party members not to join forces with Prayut's PPRP, but that was in vain.
Prayut the new Prime Minister of Thailand
The PPRP-led coalition now has a majority of 254 seats in the House of Representatives. All Democrat MPs have vowed to vote today for Prayut as the new prime minister. The vote is actually a formality because the result is already clear. As the new prime minister, Prayut can no longer make use of the undemocratic article 44 in the interim constitution.
According to Prayut, the new government is one of the people and not of a political party given the broad coalition.
Source Bangkok Post
We see here that thanks to the 10 seats that the Electoral Council stole from Anakot Mai (Future Forward), in particular, the pro-dictatorship club has the majority of votes. This is because of the very creative way of counting seats (distribution key).
Abhisit (from the Democrats) has given up his seat along with some other Democrats:
Former Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva resigned as an MP Wednesday morning, a day after party executives voted to join the pro-junta coalition. (..) Four other Democrats also announced their departure including Abhisit's nephew Parit Wacharasindh” .
See: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/06/05/abhisit-resigns-as-mp-after-dems-join-pro-junta-coalition/
On the Nation today is this cartoon from the "cockroach party" (Democrats):
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/cartoon/20663
More mockery from the Democrats who don't live up to their name:
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/culture/net/2019/06/05/netizens-say-democratsbetrayedcitizens-others-rejoice-at-pro-prayuth-stance/
At the top we see a picture with a young man wrapped in a Democrat logo, he looks fondly at Prayut. The lady labeled 'the people' (ประชาชน, Pràchaachon) is not amused…
Good, we know that too. Now it's time to start governing and wait and see if things get better. Hopefully this won't take too long. Time will tell. The soldiers back to their barracks and apparently again consultation and participation in the absence of using article 44. The constitution that will also be adjusted again. Now it's time to get rid of that ridiculously hard baht, so that we foreigners also have a little more use for the euro, because that is badly needed for many to survive here.
But the most important thing is that for the vast majority of Thais, measures will finally be introduced that will serve as the basis for a life without poverty and with prospects of a decent old age provision and health insurance schemes. I know that takes a lot of change and courage, but above all the will and whether there is or will be. I hope so with all my heart.
Prayut was elected Prime Minister by 500 votes. The Senate elected by the junta gave its support to Prayut as expected. Thanathorn received 244 votes. However, Prayut did receive strong criticism: as a coup plotter he would have little interest in democracy.
- https://m.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1689860/house-senate-elect-prayut-thailands-new-prime-minister
- https://www.thaipbsworld.com/absent-prayut-heavily-criticized-in-parliament-as-unfit-to-be-next-pm/
Watching the vote back via ThaiPBS:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH2-rpq0p_w
The Phalang coalition has 254 seats, along with the junta-loving Senate, that makes 504 people who support this green military regime. In the vote for the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Senate and Parliament abstained, and one member of the Bhumjaithai party also abstained. That makes 501 votes, but 'only' 500 were cast for the dictator. Which one vote from the anti-democracy camp did not go to the dictator-premier?
Let's also count the votes without the senate:
Then Prayut would have had 253-254 votes and Thanathorn 244. Still a narrow majority for Prayut (Parliament has 500 seats). But if the Electoral Council had chosen an allocation key as proposed by all kinds of experts and former Electoral Council persons, we would never have had those 10 single-seat parties in parliament (those seats would have mainly gone to Future Forward with a normal allocation key). Prayut could therefore not have become prime minister if the elections were a little fairer. So does he have the voice and support of the people? When will things break?
Ah that one 501st vote was lost because Abhisit relinquished his seat. Only 497 MPs voted. Abhisit dropped out, Thanathorn is temporarily suspended and 1 Future Forward member was ill. So those 3 votes were missing. Too bad Abhisit didn't use his vote to vote against Prayut before he stepped down. But the 'Democrats' also owe a lot to the generals' clique.
Source: https://prachatai.com/english/node/8081
Dear Robert V,
This is bad and unfortunate, but I see the last "undemocratic Article 44 in the Interim Constitution",
it will again testify to 'very not undemocratic' behaviour.
Perhaps this is a hope for the future. I hope so.
Bad for Thailand.
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
The relatively new political party Forum for Democracy wins the next parliamentary elections with 40 seats, enters into an alliance with the PVV and proposes Geert Wilders as the new prime minister. To do this, however, one has to bind a large number of small parties such as the Party for the Animals, the CU, DENK and the SGP by giving them all a ministerial or state secretary post. Together they then come to 77 seats of the 150 available seats in the House of Representatives. A narrow majority.
Can you imagine such a 'stable' government?
Moderator: Please keep the discussion back to Thailand.
I wouldn't be happy about it, but I'm just one of the eligible voters.
And the establishment of that government will then be the result of elections with a level playing field for all parties.
In all honesty you cannot say that about the elections and the establishment of the new government in Thailand.
Just like the government you outlined formed with 6 parties, a government formed with 19(!) parties does not seem to have a long life. We'll see.
Real democrats…deny their own people…actually nothing else than in Europe….Only there they are a bit better at masking