PM urges people to wait for results, rejects unity govt idea

By Kas Chanwanpen 
The Nation 

 

 

JUNTA CHIEF General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday dismissed the idea of a national unity government amid a lack of clarity over the poll outcome, and insisted on waiting for the official vote results next month.

 

Apparently upset by the idea, Prayut said the government must be formed based on the Constitution and laws. 

 

 

“We cannot just draw up regulations on our own. Now, we can only wait for the election results. The establishment of the government cannot be completed now,” the PM said. 

 

“You’ll have to see what motivated them to say that. What do they want?” he asked of the critics.

 

Prayut was referring to the suggestion by Democrat MP-to-be Thepthai Senapong. 

 

Conflict has revived after the general election, focused on which faction could muster sufficient MPs to form a coalition government.

 

Thepthai proposed on Monday that a national unity government could be a solution, but not with Prayut as head of government.

 

Rather, Thepthai said, the chosen PM should be a person acceptable to all sides.

 

In a related development, the Election Commission (EC) continued to be targeted following allegations of irregularities both in the elections and in the post-election procedures. 

 

These include its choice of method in calculating MP seats, which would allot seats to 11 small parties despite their failure to win sufficient votes to gain a single seat. 

 

Several activists, including Srisuwan Janya and Ekachai Hongkangwan, yesterday lodged complaints with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) demanding impeachment of the seven EC commissioners.

 

They accused the EC of failing to conduct a credible election and deliver the results. 

 

Meanwhile, anti-junta politician Ruangkrai Leekitwatana yesterday filed a complaint with the Ombudsman to consider nullifying the March 24 election altogether, citing multiple errors related to the vote counting.

 

Formula ‘unconstitutional’

 

In a related development, Pheu Thai Party yesterday asserted that the formula the EC planned to use was unconstitutional. 

 

Party member Tossaporn Serirak told the press the EC’s calculation allocating some 11 seats to smaller parties that had gained less than 70,000 votes could not be permitted.

 

Citing the Constitution, the politician said the formula could only be used if there were not enough MPs in the House. 

 

Not only had the smaller parties failed to gain sufficient votes, said Tossaporn, but their entry into Parliament would be at the expense of larger parties that had got the votes, he explained. 

 

Future Forward Party, for example, would lose seven seats if the EC changed the formula to favour the smaller parties, he said. 

 

“I believe they will use this incorrect formula to pave the way for a particular party to become the coalition leader,” Tossaporn said. “Previously, the spokesman of that party has said they would make a deal with these small parties to muster MPs to compete with Pheu Thai’s coalition.”

 

Tossapon yesterday also petitioned the EC to reconsider its calculation method.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30367442

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-10

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

We cannot just draw up regulations on our own.

Why not ?

That's all you lot have done since the coup, including your 20 year plan.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The establishment of the government cannot be completed now,” the PM said. 

unsaid and lurking in the background is the idea that thais cannot ,at this point, govern themselves so 'i will have to do it'

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut was referring to the suggestion by Democrat MP-to-be Thepthai Senapong. 

And that phrase sums up the whole affair.

 

He is not an MP, regardless of whatever majority he won, what, three weeks ago now? He may be one in due course, if it suits the powers that be.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

PM urges people to wait for results

 

It takes time to weed out all of those "incorrect" ballots and manufacture new "correct" ones to take their place.

 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

We cannot just draw up regulations on our own.

Really? Pot calling kettle......................

'We cannot just draw up regulations on our own': This is all beyond an insult to the intelligence. A whole new phrase - much more powerful than 'an insult to the intelligence' - needs to be invented in the English language to cover such jaw-dropping declarations.

There are currently no words for any of it.

8 minutes ago, Eligius said:

'We cannot just draw up regulations on our own': This is all beyond an insult to the intelligence. A whole new phrase - much more powerful than 'an insult to the intelligence' - needs to be invented in the English language to cover such jaw-dropping declarations.

There are currently no words for any of it.

Must have been lost in translation, he can't have said that, could he?

Prayut back on centre stage now that the glory seeking star attraction Big Joke has left the show. Normality has been restored.

It is disheartening (and a mega piss off) to see the "bully crowd" hurdle all these accusations and threats of jail or dissolution at their opponents but the opponents are limited in scope to reciprocate.

Unfortunately, should the junta pull it off and seize power (once again) after all the vote juggling and elimination of competition is done, there will be a huge number of rightfully, disgruntled Thais.

And that may bring an uprising. In turn, SOMEBODY will use this as an excuse to squash it by using even heavier handed tactics.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Apparently upset by the idea, Prayut said the government must be formed based on the Constitution and laws. 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In a related development, Pheu Thai Party yesterday asserted that the formula the EC planned to use was unconstitutional. 

a bit confusing

The hypocrisy boggles the mind

Just now, d2b2 said:

The hypocrisy boggles the mind

Thais are renowned for not wanting to lose "face". All face has been lost with this election debacle.

Face ? Fact is the General Junta PM has support from a “higher authority “ and that all that matters now


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

12 minutes ago, wreckingcountry said:

Face ? Fact is the General Junta PM has support from a “higher authority “ and that all that matters now


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Can not comment.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thepthai proposed on Monday that a national unity government could be a solution, but not with Prayut as head of government.

No small wonder Prayut was upset. 

This idea is never to be even thought of; let alone proposed.

1 hour ago, neeray said:

It is disheartening (and a mega piss off) to see the "bully crowd" hurdle all these accusations and threats of jail or dissolution at their opponents but the opponents are limited in scope to reciprocate.

Unfortunately, should the junta pull it off and seize power (once again) after all the vote juggling and elimination of competition is done, there will be a huge number of rightfully, disgruntled Thais.

And that may bring an uprising. In turn, SOMEBODY will use this as an excuse to squash it by using even heavier handed tactics.

You are so right, Neeray. I believe that your last two sentences (above) articulate precisely the plan of the Powers That Should Not Be!

 

Edited April 10, 20197 yr by Eligius

6 hours ago, webfact said:

We cannot just draw up regulations on our own

.............unless we decide to use Article 44, and in this case it doesn't suit us.

2 minutes ago, madmitch said:

.............unless we decide to use Article 44, and in this case it doesn't suit us.

Why not?

"You wished we'd R.I.P and now you won't let us Rig In Peace? What more do you want?"

Yes please wait the fudge takes longer setting in the heat????

This guy is such an f'ing hypocrite. I would imagine most Thai people do not trust him. 

This sentence is incomplete "We cannot just draw up regulations on our own" to which should be added "as we have been doing for the past five years?.

A complete farce from start to rigged finish !

15 hours ago, webfact said:

Apparently upset by the idea, Prayut said the government must be formed based on the Constitution and laws.

Which he is currently busy rewriting while the EC continues to figure out how to massage the election results to keep him in power. The entire thing would be funny if it was not so sad.

“We cannot just draw up regulations on our own."

Um, pretty sure that's exactly what you did 

It is utterly embarrassing. Does anyone know of another country where it would take this long to release election results? 

49 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

It is utterly embarrassing. Does anyone know of another country where it would take this long to release election results? 

North Korea could possibly release results quicker. Sure, the results would be 100% for Kim, but considering NK citizens are only taught the number "100" at school, they'd get away with it. The Tha junta, however, have to be more creative. Well, not that much actually: Most of my family, lovers of the number "9" and critics of slightly bigger numbers, are currently decked out in yellow and saying how wonderful 10 is. The indocrtrination from birth certainly works. They're good slaves that love to be told what to wear.