Thai election: 3rd-placed party Bhumjaithai won’t approve PM who supports amending lese majeste laws

BANGKOK - The party that placed third in Thailand’s elections said on Wednesday it would not vote for a prime minister who supports amending the country’s royal insult laws, further complicating the path of the top two winners’ to forming a government.

“Bhumjaithai Party would like to inform you that the Bhumjaithai Party’s position is not to form a government with any political party that has a policy to amend or abolish Section 112 of the criminal code,” the party said in a statement.

The progressive Move Forward party, which won the most seats in Sunday’s election, has as part of its platform a call to amend – but not abolish – the law that punishes insulting Thailand’s king with up to 15 years in prison, saying it is often misused for political purposes.

The Bhumjaithai party, which was part of the outgoing coalition of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, is shaping up as a potential kingmaker, with its 70 lower house seats.

Military-linked parties could in theory try to form a minority government, relying on Senate support to get their choice of prime minister through, but with few lower house seats, it would find it difficult to govern.

Move Forward claimed 152 seats, with rival opposition outfit Pheu Thai second on 141, and the two sides met for coalition talks on Wednesday.

They are working on a six-party coalition that would give them more than 300 of the 500 lower house seats.

But to secure the prime minister’s job, the coalition needs a majority across both houses – including the Senate, whose 250 members were hand-picked by the previous junta.

Move Forward and its allies need 376 lower house votes to ensure senators could not block party leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister.

Some senators have already voiced opposition to the Harvard-educated Pita, rattled by his strong anti-establishment stance.

“I will not accept Pita as a PM,” senator Jadet Inswang said, raising concerns about lese majeste reform.

Senator Kittisak Ratanawaraha also declined to support Mr Pita.

“The PM candidate needs to love the nation, monarchy,” he said.

Former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Pheu Thai, the party he supported in Sunday’s election, won’t back any action that could harm the monarchy after it agreed to participate in a coalition with Move Forward.

Speaking in public on Tuesday for the first time since the vote, he distanced his family from Move Forward’s plans to ease rules outlawing criticism of the royal family.

“The stance of the Pheu Thai party and the Shinawatra family is we respect and love the institution of the monarchy,” Mr Thaksin said, responding to a question about how the party doesn’t touch issues on the royal family.

“How others perceive it is not something I can control. I am who I am, and I am open to criticism because I’m not fighting to do anything bad to the monarchy. I’m only fighting for political wins.”

Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Mr Thaksin’s daughter and one of Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidates, said this week her party was open to discussing change to the controversial lese majeste in parliament. REUTERS, AFP, BLOOMBERG