A joint sitting of the House of Representatives and the Senate convened on Thursday morning for a prime ministerial debate and vote, as Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat was the sole candidate.
In the session Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew nominated Mr Pita as prime minister, with support from 302 House representatives.
Under the constitution, a candidate must receive at least 376 votes from among 500 House representatives and 250 senators to become prime minister. Eight coalition allies currently have 312 votes in the House.
Before the session, Mr Pita declined to answer reporters' questions about his confidence in being voted as prime minister. The MFP leader said he hoped the joint sitting would have nothing to do with his iTV shareholding case and his party's policy to amend Section 112, or the lese majeste law.
Meanwhile, Sutin Klangsaeng, a veteran politician from Pheu Thai, said he heard of a plan to postpone the prime ministerial vote and another plan to conclude the vote on Thursday. He said a postponement would have adverse effects on government formation.
If Mr Pita is not elected as prime minister, the next round of voting scheduled for July 19 might see another prime ministerial candidate, according to Mr Sutin.
Some political parties outside the eight coalition allies stood firm in their decision to abstain from voting for Mr Pita because his party planned to amend the lese majeste law. The parties included the Democrat and Chartthaipattana parties.
Senator Kittirat Ratanawaraha said most senators would abstain from voting, and less than 10 senators would vote for Mr Pita on Thursday.
House representatives and senators were debating on Mr Pita's prime ministerial nomination, and the joint sitting was expected to cast votes at 5pm on Thursday.
