Prawit Might Be Prime Minister Only For A Year: Academic

[webfact]

Palang Pracharath leader and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Photo: Matichon

 

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

 

PALANG PRACHARATH leader Prawit Wongsuwan might probably take the helm of government only for a year after an upcoming general election, given decisive votes from both MPs and senators, forecast NIDA Poll director Suwicha Pao-ari last night (Feb.20).

 

Prawit who is contesting the nationwide election as the sole partisan candidate for prime minister might probably be given decisive votes to become prime minister only for about a year and then be pressed by coalition partners and others to dissolve the House of Representatives, Suwicha predicted.

 

Given the likelihood of the Palang Pracharath boss being voted prime minister after the general election, the future coalition partners may include the Pheu Thai, guided by de facto party boss Thaksin Shinawatra, and a few other parties apart from his own camp, Suwicha said.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2023/02/21/prawit-might-be-prime-minister-only-for-a-year-academic/

 

-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2023-02-22

 

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[ChrisY1]

If Thais vote for this guy as their PM, they're wasting their voting power...!

[bamnutsak]

7 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

If Thais vote for this guy as their PM, they're wasting their voting power...!

Well Thais don't "vote" for the PM, I mean other than five or six of the more prominent ones.

 

That's the whole point of "Thai-style" democracy.

 

I think this serves a few purposes...

 

easier to build an unassailable coalition prior to the election

give Prawit a farewell tour, and pave his way to the Privy Council

extend the rule of the NCPO/junta

be able to bring back Prayuth for his last four (or more?) years

 

 

 

 

[ignore it]

Given Prawit's age and health issues, according to insurance company actuarial tables, a lasting a year would be a long shot

[JonnyF]

Same as Prayut was only going to be there 6 months? ????

 

Fool me once...

[sammieuk1]

Looks like the result is already in then all we need to know is how much did it cost ????

[brianthainess]

Is that he's jail cell? Nice bars. 

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Prawit Might Be Prime Minister Only For A Year: Academic

Can Thailand Afford Prawit As PM Even If Only For A Year: Concerned Resident

[Burma Bill]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

to become prime minister only for about a year

Then a catastrophic event causing extinction of dinosaurs?

[jacko45k]

7 hours ago, ignore it said:

Given Prawit's age and health issues, according to insurance company actuarial tables, a lasting a year would be a long shot

The prospect of having another wasted year on top of the last 8-9 years is just deflating!

[Eric Loh]

44 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

The prospect of having another wasted year on top of the last 8-9 years is just deflating!

It's a trade-off that the country has to endure for another year. Kind of better to have Prawit than Prayut. Also the fact that by next year all the NCPO appointed senators will have their term expired. The 2017 constitution provision for the first 5 years for co-election of the Prime Minister will also expire. The fate of the new batch of senators will be depend of new amendment to the constitution. I think the report may be right that Prawit will be simply a lame duck prime minister for a year till next election. 

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

It's a trade-off that the country has to endure for another year. Kind of better to have Prawit than Prayut. Also the fact that by next year all the NCPO appointed senators will have their term expired. The 2017 constitution provision for the first 5 years for co-election of the Prime Minister will also expire. The fate of the new batch of senators will be depend of new amendment to the constitution. I think the report may be right that Prawit will be simply a lame duck prime minister for a year till next election. 

Until next election.

And then what....?? 

Gives 'em time to hand pick another worthless old geezer from the selected club. 

[lavender19]

That's when the watch batteries run out

[billd766]

4 hours ago, lavender19 said:

That's when the watch batteries run out

Not to mention the 1 year warranty.

[Eric Loh]

15 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Until next election.

And then what....?? 

Gives 'em time to hand pick another worthless old geezer from the selected club. 

There will be no NCPO whose 9 members from the junta appointed the current senators. The current 194 out of 250 senators were handpicked by NCPO to be Prayut's rubber stamp. With a new Senate appointment panel, things likely to be very different. The new government may even pushed for constitutional reform for elected senators. That will be the cherry on top for a fully elected bicameral legislative chambers. 

[bamnutsak]

Of the Senators not chosen by the Junta previously (194 + 6 "top brass"), there were 50 openings, for which some 2,476 "applied". There were many charges of vote-buying and corruption, yes I know shocking - during this process.

 

It is not clear to me how the next batch of Senators will be nominated, selected and appointed. I think there is an Organic Law covering this procedure, but I haven't found it. (The old one is available.)

 

Some read that the current crop of Senators would again participate in the Parliamentary vote for a (not so new?) PM.

 

This power of the Senate will become a thing of the past after June 2024 under Section 272 of the 2017 Constitution as it only exists for five years after the inauguration or first sitting of parliament under the charter which took place in 2019.

 

Section 272
In the period of five years from the date of installation of the first National Assembly
under this Constitution, an approval of a person suitable to be appointed as the Prime
Minister shall be done in accordance with section 159, except for the consideration and
approval under section 159 paragraph one, which shall be done by a joint sitting of the
National Assembly, and the resolution approving the appointment of any person as the
Prime Minister under section 159 paragraph three must be made by votes of more than
one-half of the total number of existing members of both Houses.
During the time under paragraph one, if a Prime Minister cannot be appointed from the
persons in the lists submitted by political parties under section 88 due to any reason,
and members of both Houses comprising not less than one-half of the total number of
existing members of both Houses submit a joint signed petition to the President of the
National Assembly requesting the National Assembly to pass a resolution exempting
the nomination of the Prime Minister from the persons in the lists submitted by political
parties under section 88, in such case, the President of the National Assembly shall
promptly convene a joint sitting of the National Assembly. In the case where the
National Assembly passes a resolution approving the exemption with votes of not less
than two-third of the total number of existing members of both Houses, the procedure
under paragraph one shall be undertaken further, in respect of which the persons in the
list submitted by political parties under section 88 may or may not be nominated.

 

 

I assume the procedure will not be transparent, and would result in Senators pre-disposed to support a PM named Prawit or Prayuth.

 

 

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

Of the Senators not chosen by the Junta previously (194 + 6 "top brass"), there were 50 openings, for which some 2,476 "applied". There were many charges of vote-buying and corruption, yes I know shocking - during this process.

 

It is not clear to me how the next batch of Senators will be nominated, selected and appointed. I think there is an Organic Law covering this procedure, but I haven't found it. (The old one is available.)

 

Some read that the current crop of Senators would again participate in the Parliamentary vote for a (not so new?) PM.

 

This power of the Senate will become a thing of the past after June 2024 under Section 272 of the 2017 Constitution as it only exists for five years after the inauguration or first sitting of parliament under the charter which took place in 2019.

 

Section 272
In the period of five years from the date of installation of the first National Assembly
under this Constitution, an approval of a person suitable to be appointed as the Prime
Minister shall be done in accordance with section 159, except for the consideration and
approval under section 159 paragraph one, which shall be done by a joint sitting of the
National Assembly, and the resolution approving the appointment of any person as the
Prime Minister under section 159 paragraph three must be made by votes of more than
one-half of the total number of existing members of both Houses.
During the time under paragraph one, if a Prime Minister cannot be appointed from the
persons in the lists submitted by political parties under section 88 due to any reason,
and members of both Houses comprising not less than one-half of the total number of
existing members of both Houses submit a joint signed petition to the President of the
National Assembly requesting the National Assembly to pass a resolution exempting
the nomination of the Prime Minister from the persons in the lists submitted by political
parties under section 88, in such case, the President of the National Assembly shall
promptly convene a joint sitting of the National Assembly. In the case where the
National Assembly passes a resolution approving the exemption with votes of not less
than two-third of the total number of existing members of both Houses, the procedure
under paragraph one shall be undertaken further, in respect of which the persons in the
list submitted by political parties under section 88 may or may not be nominated.

 

 

I assume the procedure will not be transparent, and would result in Senators pre-disposed to support a PM named Prawit or Prayuth.

 

 

It's clear that the 2017 constitution as regards to the power of the senate is ambiqious which prompted the opposition parties to seek to a rewrite of the entire constitution through a referendum held on the same day of the election. Obviously it was rejected by the Upper House but some senators did favour amendment. So perhaps some hope that sections on senate power will be amended especially on their appointment and power. There are also calls pushing for even more drastic change to abolish the Upper House to an unicameral legislature. The senate in the present form is undemocratic as they hold more power than elected Lower House. Plus the fact that it is a huge financial cost and their work is simple a rubber stamp wing of the government.