Pheu Thai’s Srettha named Thai PM after getting Parliament’s approval
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The Pheu Thai Party’s Srettha Thavisin passed the threshold of 375 votes needed to become premier and form the next government.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BANGKOK – Thai lawmakers approved tycoon Srettha Thavisin as the kingdom’s new prime minister on Tuesday, ending three months of political deadlock on the day former premier Thaksin Shinawatra returned from exile.
Mr Srettha easily secured a majority across the two Houses of Parliament to be approved as Thailand’s 30th prime minister, despite his Pheu Thai party coming in second in the May election.
He sailed past the 375-vote threshold needed for a majority of 500 elected Lower House MPs and 250 senators appointed by the last junta.
According to a count of votes broadcast live on Parliament TV, 482 voted in favour of Mr Srettha, 165 voted against, while 81 abstained.
“I will try my best and work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for Thai people,” Mr Srettha told reporters at Pheu Thai’s headquarters after he was confirmed as Thailand’s prime minister. “It is an honour to be elected prime minister... I will do my best.”
Pheu Thai’s coalition of 11 parties commands 314 of the Lower House’s 500 seats.
But it has stirred controversy by welcoming former foes into the partnership, including the pro-military parties
This has led to widespread speculation of a backroom deal with Thailand’s powerful pro-military royalist establishment to let Thaksin off lightly – though Pheu Thai has denied such a deal.
The vote came hours after Pheu Thai founder and figurehead Thaksin returned to Thailand for the first time since 2008 and was immediately jailed.
Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, accompanied by his youngest daughter, Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, greeting his supporters after landing at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport on Tuesday.
PHOTO: AFP
Pheu Thai stepped in to form a government after the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP) – which won the most seats – saw its leader denied the prime minister spot
Mr Srettha, the former head of Thai property giant Sansiri, last Friday vowed to tackle poverty and inequality
The respect with which he is held by Thailand’s powerful business community has sparked hopes that he might kick-start the sluggish economy after a decade of drift under military-backed governments.
The Thai stock market rallied 20 points on news of the appointment, while shares in Sansiri, the property company he used to helm, rose almost 7.5 per cent.
Mr Srettha’s towering 1.9m frame was hard to miss during campaigning for the May polls, though he cut a rather less glamorous and energetic figure than his fellow Pheu Thai candidate, Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of Thaksin.
He sought out younger Thais with messages of education reform, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights, environmental protection, and measures to address Thailand’s yawning inequality.
A dedicated Liverpool fan, he used TikTok to demonstrate his football skills, telling voters: “In football and politics... people cannot play alone, you have to play as a team.”
Despite winning the most seats in May, MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat saw his bid to become prime minister sunk by bitter opposition
After Mr Srettha’s confirmation as premier, Mr Pita pledged on social media that MFP would work in the opposition to be “the political institution that people can trust”. AFP
