With the House of Representatives due to convene next week, the prospect of a coalition government led by the Move Forward Party (MFP) remains uncertain.
The Election Commission endorsed all 500 members of parliament on June 19, and the timelines have been set. The House convenes on July 3, followed by the selection of the prime minister through a joint vote by the Lower House and the Senate. There is widespread speculation that politics will re-enter turbulent waters as certain elements on the conservative side are reluctant to go with the flow and are instead adamantly determined to stand in the way.
The parties that agreed to join the coalition -- the MFP, Pheu Thai, Prachachat, Thai Sang Thai, Seri Ruam Thai, Fair, Palang Sangkhom Mai and Pheu Thai Ruam Phalang -- have mustered only 312 votes.
They are struggling to obtain the 376 votes required by the junta-sponsored constitution. Getting them is tough, given some reservations by several senators and most of them having close ties with the military.
Some senators like Kittisak Rattanawaraha are adamant about not supporting the MFP and Pita Limjaroenrat. Others, while speaking less directly, made clear their disapproval of the prospective coalition.
Evidently, each senator is entitled to his or her own opinion, but they undermine the democracy they are expected to promote when some digress by launching attacks on the prospective coalition and particularly the Move Forward Party and its leader, Mr Pita. For example, Sen Gen Akanit Muensawad openly supported smaller parties nominating a prime ministerial candidate. This move has raised eyebrows.
The senator made the comment amid reports that smaller parties in the current coalition, namely Palang Pracharath (39 MPs) and United Thai Nation (36 MPs) are planning to form a new coalition and make use of the support from the 250-strong Senate. Gen Akanit insisted senators "have the right to vote for the one who they consider to be the most suitable choice in terms of both ethical standards and ability."
His words only attest to the view that winning by majority does not mean a thing. A few senators blatantly insist that winning the biggest number of votes, such as 14 million in the case of the MFP, does not necessarily give the party a mandate to run the country.
Sen Seri Suwanpanont said the other 36 million who did not vote for the MFP must also be taken into account. According to his logic, these 36 million are the majority which justifies his anti-MFP stance.
Such a self-assuming view goes against the spirit of democracy, which champions government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not only wrong, but it could also result in a political stalemate, if not a confrontation.
Despite the massive win, the MFP and Pheu Thai, earning more than half the House seats, still have to struggle to form a government, and that affects the economy, including investor sentiment.
Witnessing senators openly endorsing parties that lost in the election and backing the minority only makes forming a coalition harder. This shows the underlying problem of the 2017 junta-sponsored charter and Thai democracy as a whole. It explains why politicians across the spectrum have tried so hard to rewrite the charter to remove senators' power.
Conservative elements, especially the senators, must be aware that when voters cast their ballots on May 14, they expected changes -- real ones. Politicians stuck in old politics should be ashamed of themselves.
