Pita Limjaroenrat, leader and sole prime ministerial candidate of Move Forward Party (MFP), has urged his supporters to gather outside CentralWorld in Bangkok on Sunday in what he described as a get-together planned ahead of the July 13 parliamentary vote to decide the new prime minister.
He announced the gathering on his Facebook page, saying July 13 will be a important day for the country.
Even though the MFP has already won more than 27 million votes, or approximately 72% of all eligible voters in the May 14 general election, it still has to wait for the Senate to decide its fate, said Mr Pita, referring to the 250 senators whose votes could prove decisive.
"I believe all members of parliament will listen to the people's voice," he said.
Interested parties are invited to the get-together which is to begin at 4.30pm to allow them to get up close and personal with Mr Pita, and offer moral support to him and his MFP MPs, the post said.
Meanwhile, MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon has called a meeting of the eight parties in the MFP-led alliance at parliament on Tuesday to prepare for Thursday's vote, said a source.
The seven prospective coalition partners have now demanded a clear answer from the MFP as to how many senators will actually support Mr Pita as the MFP's claims seem to contradict recent media interviews by certain senators.
Despite asserting they will stick to their commitment to support Mr Pita, the other coalition members believe, as a potential government leader, that the MFP should do more to reassure them, said the source.
In another development, many MFP supporters have shared an open letter by Senator Wutthiphan Wichairat who interpreted His Majesty the King's speech to open parliament on July 3 as a coded message endorsing Mr Pita's bid. The senator quoted a section in which the King urged members of parliament to perform their duty in the best interest of the nation as his evidence for writing the letter.
Meanwhile, Tawee Sodsong, secretary-general of Prachachat Party, one of the coalition partners, reiterated his support for Mr Pita to become prime minister.
He also dismissed rumours House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, 79, may only perform the duty for a year due to his age. Mr Wan is fit enough to complete this four-year term, he said.
