“I accept it but I’m not giving up,” was Pita Limjaroenrat’s first reaction after he failed to win a majority vote from parliament for his premiership on Thursday evening.
The Move Forward Party leader received 324 votes in his favour, 182 votes against and 199 abstentions in the first prime ministerial vote. The result left him 51 votes short of his target.
After the vote result was announced, Mr Pita told reporters that there were a lot of pressures on senators because many of them were absent from the joint sitting of representatives and senators on Thursday.
“There were pressures and several incentives,” he said without elaborating. “They were not allowed to vote in line with the people.”
More than 30 senators were absent from the meeting. Some had gone abroad and others left the chamber, said the leader of the election-winning party.
“I thank the 13 senators who voted in favour. I will find the reasons why many of them were absent,” Mr Pita said.
He said he accepted the vote result but was not giving up. He said he would try to find strategies to gather enough support in the next round of the prime ministerial vote.
Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled the second and third rounds of voting for July 19 and 20. It is not known yet if Mr Pita’s name will be put forward on one or both days.
Before the vote on Thursday, several parliamentarians attacked the Move Forward Party’s policy to amend the lese-majeste law.
Some commentators have suggested that if the party decided to compromise and drop plans to change the law from its policy pledges, Mr Pita might be able e able to win a majority in the next round of voting.
After Thursday’s vote, reporters asked Mr Pita if his party would change its stance on the law, Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
“It will remain the same,” he insisted. “Today we had a lot of chances to explain the matter to the parliament and that was a good development.”
Asked if he was prepared to be in the opposition if things don’t go his way, Mr Pita said he was focusing for now on preparing for the second round of the prime ministerial vote.
There would be time enough to figure out what happened on Thursday to get ready for the next round, he said.
