9 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

If the Senate would not aprove Shretta, then they would oppose the will for change of 2/3 of the population. First Pita then Shretta. That would mean that the will of 2/3 of the Thai population would be suppressed. Then FT and PT supporters would probably join forces on the streets. I don't believe that the Thais will silently allow themselves to be robbed of the election results.

I hope it not comes to bloody protests, but I don't know any Thais who let their butter be stolen from their bread.

Lot's of common thai's loved Taksin and that didn't save him.

10 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

PT has kept to the agreement. Srettha should now run as a PM candidate from the existing coalition of eight parties. As long as the future government reflects the election results of the population, ok. The senators cannot afford to saw off Srettha like Pita before. Would be nice to see where the Senate stands in the third approach. For the sake of the  Thai people or not.

The appointed senators don’t care one bit about the Thai people or their preferences. The senators will vote for any dinosaur from the military put before them 

Just another type of Thai coup.

Shame on you Thailand. 

9 hours ago, BenStark said:

If that fails there will be no new coalition,  Prayut will remain as caretaker until new elections, which will be delayed and delayed, until both MF and PT are dissolved by a court.

Which is exactly as the dictator wanted by putting the 250 in - I remember reading some gumf about how he felt it would make Thailand governments more stable - its done exactly the opposite and exactly what he planned

8 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

The Military Junta or Pheu Thai, what's the difference? Two completely corrupt groups vying for their share of the loot, all drooling over their turn at the trough. 

Oh yeah?

Millions of Thais voted for PT. None voted for the Military Junta.

Spot the difference?

10 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

PT has kept to the agreement. Srettha should now run as a PM candidate from the existing coalition of eight parties. As long as the future government reflects the election results of the population, ok. The senators cannot afford to saw off Srettha like Pita before. Would be nice to see where the Senate stands in the third approach. For the sake of the  Thai people or not.

Hope settha has no baggage.

10 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

The senators cannot afford to saw off Srettha like Pita before.

Your  post count indicates you have been here awhile but your thoughts imply that  you are completely new to the experience of Thai politics and culture?

Why do you believe 250 pro junta senators  will vote for a candidate from the opposition?

knowing that their man Prawit will be knocking on the door with 250 votes already in the bag when no one else is able to get the required votes.

The question is, will the remaining MP's vote for Prawit in order to get the country running again, rather than let it stagnate.

Prawit may not be in the equation yet but I'm sure he's just waiting and biding his time.

9 hours ago, madmitch said:

I don't get why the senate were allowed a say in whether Pita could stand a second time. They are not elected Parliamentarians and this wasn't a vote for PM as such. But I obviously don't know the ins and outs of the clause in the constitution that gives them such powers.

 

Anyway, there's a precedent set now: if Sreetha gets the coalition nomination and fails, he won't be able to stand again in the event of a new coalition. The worry about that is who would stand? And this is where the likelihood of the olld guard regaining power comes into play.

 

Dreadful situation!

Read the latest constitution....

What a completely insane system.....any wonder Thais are going backwards fast!

10 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

PT has kept to the agreement. Srettha should now run as a PM candidate from the existing coalition of eight parties. As long as the future government reflects the election results of the population, ok. The senators cannot afford to saw off Srettha like Pita before. Would be nice to see where the Senate stands in the third approach. For the sake of the  Thai people or not.

The senate will vote for Jabbah. He’s their man. 

Oh, that's a surprise ????

My money is still on Prawat, lol. Long shot? maybe...

Personally, I would avoid the mass demonstration "trap" ....... look where it ended up last time. Just the excuse needed to take back control for a few more years. PT should settle the matter.

10 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

I don't believe that the Thais will silently allow themselves to be robbed of the election results.

Hope you're right. We'll know soon enough.

1 hour ago, Red Forever said:

Oh yeah?

Millions of Thais voted for PT. None voted for the Military Junta.

Spot the difference?

If anything, the elections were a complete rebuke of the Pheu Thai party, which makes the current events even more sad. Hopefully next time MFP takes over 200 seats. The Military Junta was always going to have it's core fanboys.

2 hours ago, neeray said:

I believe we are in "the calm before the storm" period. Pita screwed up his chances through either stupidity and/or naivety but in the process, the people's hopes were raised. They will not take this failure lying down. A storm is in the making.

As the process has carried on, I think this was just a game or an experiment to him. I think he knew the result, even if he hadn't been in possession of the shares, it would have been something else. He knew it all along. The past two weeks, traveling the country to whip up a protest if denied the opportunity. Now it's all over, what will people do? I would love to be proved wrong, but they will just roll over and accept the decision of the people calling the shots.

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Hope settha has no baggage.

Everybody has baggage.  The baggage of the military leaders passes through uninspected.

what a circus

11 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

PT has kept to the agreement. Srettha should now run as a PM candidate from the existing coalition of eight parties. As long as the future government reflects the election results of the population, ok. The senators cannot afford to saw off Srettha like Pita before. Would be nice to see where the Senate stands in the third approach. For the sake of the  Thai people or not.

you really think senate will back a PT PM ?

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Hope settha has no baggage.

Well, he's a wealthy man ... But then so was Thanathorn and (rather less) Pita.

 

Not too many unwealthy people in Thai politics!

3 hours ago, neeray said:

I believe we are in "the calm before the storm" period.

Also known as 7:00 PM, on the Thai Political Clock.

 

 

11 hours ago, madmitch said:

I don't get why the senate were allowed a say in whether Pita could stand a second time. They are not elected Parliamentarians and this wasn't a vote for PM as such. But I obviously don't know the ins and outs of the clause in the constitution that gives them such powers.

 

Anyway, there's a precedent set now: if Sreetha gets the coalition nomination and fails, he won't be able to stand again in the event of a new coalition. The worry about that is who would stand? And this is where the likelihood of the olld guard regaining power comes into play.

 

Dreadful situation!

I take it you weren't in Thailand during and after the 2014 coup.  The military wrote a constitution that allows it to overrule democratic elections whenever it doesn't like the outcome.  That's the Senate's job.

31 minutes ago, smedly said:

you really think senate will back a PT PM ?

Well, Thailand needs a functioning government, which requires a majority in parliament to pass laws. If the coalition holds together, I don't see how, for example, a Prawit or Anutin can govern with a minority in parliament.

12 hours ago, BenStark said:

Explain why not.

 

The 3rd ound is tomorrow, isn't it?

Will the Senate try to have MFP removed by the CC over Lese Majeste?

1 hour ago, dpcjsr said:

My money is still on Prawat, lol. Long shot? maybe...

I agree with you.  Any party with a minimum number of elected members in the assembly (I think it’s 10) can nominate a person to be PM.  During the first round of voting there were 188 votes against Pita.  Add in the majority of senators and Prawit has enough votes.

 

Things will get ugly then.  If this happens I can see a vote of no confidence happening later this year which would probably pass.  After that I’m not sure what happens

15 minutes ago, statman78 said:

I agree with you.  Any party with a minimum number of elected members in the assembly (I think it’s 10) can nominate a person to be PM.  During the first round of voting there were 188 votes against Pita.  Add in the majority of senators and Prawit has enough votes.

 

Things will get ugly then.  If this happens I can see a vote of no confidence happening later this year which would probably pass.  After that I’m not sure what happens

25 is the minimum to nominate a PM candidate. Prawit's party didn't nominate a candidate. Neither did Prayuth's.

 

However, BJT did. Yes, they could form a 184 seat coalition with the old junta supporters, but it would be a minority government which Anutin says he is not interested in. So he's presumably going for broke, eyeing a coalition that excludes MFP but includes PT. The Senate would presumably ok that arrangement, and they'd be home and dry with MFP left out in the cold. The party that won the most votes, the most seats, that had the guts, the balls to take on the military/monarchists and beat them , only to fall foul of Prayuth's catch all safety net. The senate has to go before any real change. And PT won't even try I don't think. Bend over boys.

10 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

You mean pro-vote buying.

That happens across the board and isn't unique to one party.

2 hours ago, Dene16 said:

Your  post count indicates you have been here awhile but your thoughts imply that  you are completely new to the experience of Thai politics and culture?

Why do you believe 250 pro junta senators  will vote for a candidate from the opposition?

knowing that their man Prawit will be knocking on the door with 250 votes already in the bag when no one else is able to get the required votes.

The question is, will the remaining MP's vote for Prawit in order to get the country running again, rather than let it stagnate.

Prawit may not be in the equation yet but I'm sure he's just waiting and biding his time.

"Prawit may not be in the equation yet but I'm sure he's just waiting and biding his time."

Did you really mean to say that? 

I can think of a few comments to make about that, but will refrain for the sake of brevity!

In contemplation of the Thai political landscape, it becomes evident that the Senate is resolute in preserving its authoritative sway. Regrettably, the genuine desires of the Thai people often remain unfulfilled, as their votes seem to lead to outcomes that diverge from their aspirations. As a foreign observer, I can only humbly express my perspectives on this matter, for it ultimately lies within the hands of the people to either embrace or dissent from the decisions orchestrated by the ruling elite.

The gradual erosion of authentic democracy can be traced back to the compromised state of the constitution, manipulated by the current leadership. The disillusionment stems from the fact that restoring the once revered "people's constitution," which would facilitate impartial elections and transparent outcomes, appears to be an arduous and perhaps unattainable endeavor.

The intricacies of Thai politics underscore the need for a more discerning and inclusive approach, whereby the will of the populace is honored and protected. Consequently, fostering a more robust and equitable democratic system should become an overarching goal, necessitating the collective efforts of citizens to regain control over the governance of their nation.

In light of this intricate web of political entanglements, it becomes evident that the nation stands at a crossroads. The fate of true democracy rests not merely on the actions of those in power, but also on the collective will of the Thai people to reclaim their voice and right to govern.

Hence, let it be known that these reflections solely represent my perspective as an outsider, an observer who bears witness to the unfolding complexities of Thai politics. It is my sincere hope that the Thai people will find the courage to initiate meaningful change, reclaiming the essence of democracy and ushering in an era where fair and honest elections can be held, unburdened by the shackles of vested interests.

In conclusion, the trajectory of Thailand's democracy lies in the hands of its citizens, who hold the power to shape the nation's future. The journey to revive a genuine "people's constitution" may seem daunting, but history has proven that the strength of the people united can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. As the nation moves forward, it is my wish that a more mature and inclusive democracy will emerge, one that reflects the aspirations and dreams of all Thai citizens, leading to a brighter and more prosperous future for generations to come.

"Only my humble view".

5 minutes ago, sambum said:

Did you really mean to say that? 

I can think of a few comments to make about that, but will refrain for the sake of brevity!

Ha ha , i noticed the relevance and was going to put pun intended on the end but got distracted and hit the submit reply. I wondered if anyone would pick up on it. I should of known it wouldn't take long.