Despite an earlier announcement on party leader Uttama Savanayana’s Facebook page that the five-party coalition would be announced on Tuesday, Uttama said Tuesday’s press conference was being held to merely to emphasise the parties’ intentions to collaborate.

“We’re not setting up a minority government here,” Uttama said. “Our intentions remain unchanged, in that we want to form a government that is stable and capable of serving the people.”

Five parties – Action Coalition for Thailand, Chat Pattana, Thai Local Power, People’s Reform and Thai Forest Conservation – were at the press conference on Tuesday. If these parties were to combine their seats with those of Phalang Pracharat, there would be less than 200 seats, still far from the 251 needed to legitimise a coalition.

Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties, which hold 103 seats together, were absent from the press conference. The Democrats have yet to decide on whether it will join the coalition, while Bhumjaithai is said to have made a pact with the Democrats to go in the same direction.

GENERAL Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday resisted growing pressure on him to address Parliament at a joint meeting of the lower and upper houses tomorrow when members will vote to select the next prime minister.

Politicians, particularly those from rival political parties, have called on Prayut to speak before the gathering about his vision for the country if he is picked as prime minister again.

Five hundred MPs and 250 senators will be voting for the next prime minister.

However, the prime minister and head of the junta yesterday said the voting in Parliament was a matter only for parliamentarians.

“This voting is a process for Parliament. I have nothing to do with it. And there’s no need for me to show my vision. Also, the law does not require me to do so,” Prayut said.

He added that over the past five years in office, he had already made his vision publicly known on many occasions.

When asked by a reporter if he would show up at the Parliament meeting tomorrow, Prayut responded: “What does the law say? Your question is so irrelevant.”

Prayut, who led the 2014 military coup to overthrow an elected government, is the lone prime ministerial candidate of the Phalang Pracharat Party, which is in the process of putting together a majority in the House of Representatives to form a coalition government. However, Prayut is not an MP as he did not contest the March 24 general election.

The law prohibits any member of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) from contesting the election. The Constitution states that in the first five years after the first post-charter Parliament is established, senators are empowered to vote along with MPs to select the prime minister.

Support from a majority of both Houses is required for any PM candidate to become government head.

General Prayut is seen as having a huge advantage over other PM candidates as all 250 senators were appointed by the NCPO headed by him.

Meanwhile, Prachachart Party leader Wan Muhammad Noor Matha yesterday said PM candidates like Prayut should appear before Parliament at its meeting tomorrow.

“This is a way to show respect to the elected representatives. He has to find free time to show up, otherwise he should not have offered himself to become prime minister,” Wan Muhammad Noor said.

Neither required nor prohibited

The politician, a former House speaker, also said that although it was not required by law or any parliamentary regulations, PM candidates addressing Parliament about their vision is also not against any law.

“No rules against it does not mean you are prohibited from doing so,” he said.

Yesterday, House Speaker Chuan Leekpai said PM candidates have the right to choose whether to show up during the parliamentary meeting or not.

“The law does not prohibit” such appearances, he said.

Chuan, who is the Democrat Party’s chief adviser, also said the PM candidates might request time to address the meeting about their visions when becoming prime minister. The speaker said he would allow parliamentarians to debate without time limits before the voting.

Phalang Pracharat leader Uttama Savanayana said yesterday that the party expected to form a coalition government under Prayut’s leadership before the Parliament voting.

“The goal is to have a democratic government to lead the country forward, as expected by the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party’s executive board and MPs will decide today on whether to join a Phalang Pracharat-led coalition government, key Democrat figures said yesterday.

Deputy Democrat leader Nipon Boonyamanee said the executives and MPs still could not agree on whether to take part or not. He said the issue would be resolved today. Democrat leader Jurin Laksanavisit said yesterday that the party was still waiting for a decision from the coalition leader Phalang Pracharat on certain matters.

Sirawit Sereethiwat, better known as “Jaa New” (Sergeant New), was attacked on Sunday night by a group of five to six men armed who used wooden sticks beat him mainly to his face and head. He said the attackers rode motorcycles and said nothing before hitting him.

“They looked like they were trying to kill me. I don’t know why they were so angry at me. I will never forgive them. And I ask the police to finish this case as soon as possible,” he said.

Sirawit, 27, said he would have to be more careful after the attack, which left him bruises and cuts to his face, lips, right ear and some other parts of his body.

The activist, who earlier led protests against the 2014 military coup and the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has campaigned for the 250 junta-appointed senators to abstain during Wednesday’s parliamentary vote to select the next prime minister.

Most, if not all, of the senators are expected to vote in favour of General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the prime minister candidate of the Phalang Pracharat Party, to continue as the government head.

Poomtham Wechayachai, secretary-general of the pre-coup governing party Pheu Thai, on Monday condemned the attack on Sirawit.

“I strongly condemn the attack on Sirawit, or Jaa New, during his campaign against allowing senators to select General Prayut as the next prime minister,” Poomtham said in his Facebook post.

The politician asked if Thai society would allow “power-hungry people” to use “barbaric methods” in order to stay on in power. He added that people who beg to differ seemed to “have nowhere to stand” in this society.

Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary-general for the Future Forward Party, also on Monday condemned the use of violence against Sirawit, which he said was aimed at creating an atmosphere of fear among dissidents.

“This was not the first time for use of intimidation, threats and violence against political dissidents,” the academic-turned-politician said in his Facebook message.

“No culprits have been arrested. Worse still, the dissidents are slapped with legal actions meant to block them from expressing their political views,” he said.

Sirawit’s mother Patnaree Charnkit said on Monday that she had often warned him to be careful following attacks on political activists. This was the first time he had been attacked so seriously, she added.

“The attackers didn’t seem to just threaten him or ‘give him a lesson’. They focused their attack on his head,” the mother said while visiting Sirawit at Mission Hospital.

She said his doctor told her that an initial examination showed the attack had not damaged Sirawit’s brain. However, as the activist had complained of dizziness, she wanted him to stay in hospital for another day.

MOST PEOPLE have become fed up with politicians bargaining for Cabinet seats amid ongoing efforts to form a coalition government, a recent survey found.

No political camp has been able to patch together a coalition in the more than two months since the March 24 general election.

More than 76 per cent of respondents to the Suan Dusit Poll said they had become “more tired” of Thai-style politics due to the bargaining for power.

The survey results were released yesterday.

This compared with 19.4 per cent who said they were “as tired as before” and 4.3 per cent who said they were “less tired than before”.

Most of those surveyed – 67.4 per cent – blamed the relentless negotiations to form the next government chiefly on politicians in general being unable to agree about how to split up ministry portfolios.

Another 28.3 per cent cited that as the reason party leaders hadn’t reached a resolution, while 19 per cent viewed the chaos as political gamesmanship.

Suan Dusit University quizzed 1,137 people in all regions of the country between May 28 and Saturday.

Asked what they wanted the parties to do regarding the formation of a new government, most respondents said the larger Phalang Pracharat and Pheu Thai parties should keep the interests of the country and the public foremost in mind.

A majority also suggested that the medium-sized Future Forward, Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties keep their election promises and not lie to the people.

Another opinion survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) asked about the reasons for the Democrat Party’s losses in many constituencies in the election.

Almost 33 per cent of respondents said voters had tired of the party and its political moves. More than 17 per cent said Democrat politicians were eloquent but poor at implementing policy.

Others said they disliked Democrat candidates and the party’s then-leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva. Almost 12 per cent noted that Abhisit, while campaigning, announced he would not support General Prayut Chan-o-cha to continue as prime minister.

In response to the survey results, Democrat deputy leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot said yesterday public opinion both positive or negative could serve as a good mirror for the party.

He said the party’s strategy committee meeting today would set out a new vision and strategies for the country’s oldest political party. “The results of opinion surveys will be taken into consideration,” said Alongkorn, who also chairs the strategy committee.

Also yesterday, Phalang Pracharat – an aspiring coalition leader – said it was “going full steam ahead” to form the next government as soon as possible.

Sontirat Sontijirawong, its secretary general, said Phalang Pracharat had approached all possible coalition allies and was waiting for their decisions.

“We hope to get the answers soon. We thank all the political parties that have announced their decision to join a Phalang Pracharat coalition,” he said.

“We hope the negotiations will be concluded and the coalition government will be formed soon.”

Sontirat said a Phalang Pracharat-led coalition would incorporate the policy platforms of all of its member parties.

Even as other parties have made it clear they would join Phalang Pracharat, the Democrats have not yet announced a decision.

In a related development, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party, yesterday said his party believed that politics should be a matter for everyone, not just influential people, political families and powerful financiers.

He was speaking at Future Arena Stadium in Pathum Thani following a friendly futsal game between Future Forward politicians and a local team.

Thanathorn has been suspended by the charter court from performing his duties as an MP after being accused by the Election Commission of contesting the polls despite while unqualified. The poll watchdog found that the tycoon had registered to contest the election while still holding shares in a media company, which is against the law.

A group led by anti-military activist Sirawich Serithiwat, yesterday held a demonstration at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre calling on junta-appointed senators not to vote for General Prayut to become prime minister again.

The group, called Start-up People, planned to submit letters from more than 5,000 people to the 250 senators ahead of a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday at the TOT Auditorium. The letters call on senators to abstain during the vote for prime minister.

Most of the senators are expected to vote in favour of General Prayut, who is the PM candidate of the Phalang Pracharat Party.

The Senate and House of Representatives will choose a premier on Wednesday, the day selected by new Parliament President Chuan Leekpai.

Government House’s Social Protocol Division met last week to begin preparations for the ceremony and decided that the Bhakdibodin Building would be the best location. It will take at least two days for the venue to be prepared.

Prime ministers in the past have received their royal commands at their homes, their party headquarters, or at Government House.

The Bt137-million Bhakdibodin Building was officially opened in late August 2017 as part of an initiative by incumbent Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha, who thought state officials should have a more suitable place to receive foreign dignitaries.

Prayut chose the name Bhakdibodin – which means “loyalty to the King” – from among 20 suggested by the Fine Arts Department.

The building, seen below, is Neo-Venetian Gothic in architectural design, in harmony with the nearby Thai Khu Fah Building, and is painted yellow, the colour associated with His Majesty the late King Bhumibol’s birthday. It is adorned with a giant golden dome.

The ground floor of the two-storey building features three reception rooms – the main room with a capacity for 150 people, the gilded 10-person Thongthara Room, and the blue-and-pink Wanasiri Room able to accommodate eight people.

All are decorated with portraits from Her Mother the Queen Mother Sirikit’s Support Foundation.

Bhakdibodin is Government House’s first new building erected since 2001, when edifices were opened for the Cabinet Secretariat and Office of the National Security Council, during Chuan’s tenure as prime minister.

Rames said the Democrats have not yet decided to join the coalition.

The spokesman said the Democrats wanted the Phalang Pracharat to promise that the coalition would implement the Democrats key policies.

He said they wanted Phalang Pracharat to promise to support charter amendments and to implement policies for raising the income of framers.

If the Phalang Pracharat remains silent, the Democrat executives and MPs will hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the party’s stand before Parliament is scheduled to hold a vote to select the prime minister on Wednesday, the spokesman added.

Rames said that the Future Forward party has not invited the Democrats to join its coalition.

“We are now waiting only for a response from the Phalang Pracharat,” Rames added.

The date was selected as soon as the Royal Gazette published the endorsement of Chuan as House speaker and Suchart  Tancharoen and Supachai Phosu as his deputies.

Though the Constitution does not set a deadline for the election of the head of government, it determines that parliamentarians must be notified at least three days in advance unless there is an emergency.

Chuan said notification letters would be sent to MPs on Saturday and both the Senate and House of Representatives would be involved in the voting.

Since construction of a new Parliament building has yet to be completed, the lawmakers will meet at the TOT auditorium in Bangkok’s Lak Si district.

Only nominees of parties that won at least 25 MP seats in the March 24 election will be eligible for consideration on Wednesday.

The premier’s election will be by open ballot. Each candidate’s name will be read aloud in alphabetical order and voters will indicate their assent or disapproval or choose to abstain.

The winner of a simple majority of 376 votes from among the 750 members of both houses will become prime minister. If no one wins a simple majority, the Constitution requires further votes until someone emerges victorious.

Junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha is the sole candidate of the Phalang Pracharat Party, which has 116 MP seats and is striving to lead a ruling coalition.

The Pheu Thai Party, which has 136 MPs, has nominated Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, Chadchart Sittipunt and Chaikasem Nitisiri for the top job. It remains still unclear which one will be fielded on Wednesday.

Other candidates contesting Wednesday’s vote could include Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Though his parliamentary duties have been suspended by the Constitutional Court due to his media-shares case, his party insists the 41-year-old is qualified for the premier’s post.

Meanwhile, neither the pro- nor anti-junta bloc has been able to muster enough MPs to form a coalition in the more than 60 days since the March 24 polls. It is believed the government will be formed once a prime minister is chosen.

Though the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat Party is expected to take the lead in a multiparty coalition, it has not been able to confirm arrangements with its key partner, the Democrat Party, due to disagreements over who holds the Agriculture portfolio.

Former agriculture minister Somsak Thepsutin announced yesterday that he would fight for the position, saying agricultural policies had been the core of his election campaign and he needs to deliver on what he promised.

Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit said his party was waiting for Phalang Pracharat to sort out its internal issues before they meet to decide what other parties should join the Phalang Pracharat-led coalition.

The schedule was set on Friday as soon as the Royal Gazette published the royal endorsement of Chuan as the house speaker and Suchart Tancharoen and Supachai Phosu as his deputies.

The Constitution does not set the deadline for the election of the head of the government but states that parliamentarians should be notified of the vote at least three days in advance, unless there is an emergency.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives will vote together to determine the next PM.

Chuan said the notification letters would be sent to the parliamentarians on Saturday.

The gazette officially announced Chuan Leekpai as the speaker of the House of Representatives and Suchart Tancharoen and Supachai Phosu as the first and second deputy speaker.

After the royal endorsement of the house speakers, it is expected that the soonest the house could convene and elect the prime minister is in three days.

Sources said this time politicians would come up with new offers, with limited interference from the current powers that be, and would take into account each party’s policies as |well as the stability of the future |government, before returning for talks with potential coalition |partners.

The development follows days of confusion on forming a new coalition government after the pro-junta bloc was unable to close the deal, despite progress in Phalang Pracharat emerging as the coalition leader.

The deal also hit repeated snags due to discord over the allocation of certain ministerial portfolios among the allies.

The deals were expected to be sealed before the selection of the prime minister, which Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said could take place next Tuesday. However, it has been made clear that junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha would have the final say on the Cabinet line-up.

The current negotiations showed Phalang Pracharat losing most of the economy-related ministries to the medium-sized Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties. However, the party remained wary of their impact on the next election, so it decided to take a step back and reconsider the allotments.

However, if agreements are not reached at this stage, Phalang Pracharat could opt to resume talks on setting up a government after the selection of the prime minister.

The party has 116 MPs and has secured the support of 10 minor parties that have one MP each. Those numbers, along with the backing of 250 junta-appointed senators, seems to give Phalang Pracharat enough votes to reinstall Prayut as head of the government.

The situation has confirmed political analysts’ predictions that smaller parties would have significant bargaining power in the government formation.

Because the electoral system does not allow any party to emerge an outright winner with enough seats to form a government on its own, it had been foreseen that medium-sized parties would hold power as kingmakers, as has been seen in recent days.

In a related development, the anti-junta bloc led by Pheu Thai and Future Forward parties were considering nominating candidates for PM.

There is a possibility that Pheu Thai might nominate its popular figure Chadchart Sittipunt for PM after its de facto leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan had announced that she was ready to sacrifice the position in order to stop the return of the junta to power.

However, party spokesperson Laddawan Wongsriwong said yesterday that Pheu Thai had put off the meeting until a date is set for the selection of the PM.

Meanwhile, Future Forward spokesperson Pannika Wanich said the party wanted to nominate its leader, Thanathorn Juangroong-ruangkit, to take the top government job.

Though Thanathorn has been suspended from functioning as an MP by the Constitutional Court until a ruling on the case against him over alleged media shareholding, Pannika said Thanathorn has the qualification to be the PM and is also suited for the position because of the public’s trust.

However, Pannika said, discussions within the bloc should be restarted to settle the issue in case parties held different views.