Thai PM Abhisit Wins No-Confidence Vote: Speaker

[webfact]

Thai PM wins no-confidence vote: speaker

BANGKOK, March 19, 2011 (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday survived a no-confidence motion brought against him by opposition lawmakers who accused him of human rights violations, the house speaker said.

Abhisit won the vote as expected following a censure debate, which the opposition Puea Thai party legislators sought to use to inflict political damage on his administration ahead of elections expected by early July.

The premier -- who won 249 votes to 184 against him and 11 abstentions -- was one of ten ruling coalition ministers named in the motion, all of whom survived separate votes by garnering the necessary 238 votes at least.

"The parliament has voted to give confidence to the Prime Minister and another nine ministers to stay in power," house speaker Chai Chidchob said.

It is the third censure motion that Abhisit has faced down since 2009.

The opposition lawmakers were seen as having little chance of winning the no-confidence vote because they lack a majority in the lower house.

During the debate, they accused Abhisit of abusing his power during deadly military operations in April and May 2010 aimed at clearing anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters from the streets of the capital.

They also blamed him for allowing a huge fire at Bangkok's CentralWorld mall -- one of dozens of buildings set ablaze after the army crackdown. The government denies this and blames militant protesters for the arson attacks.

Thailand remains deeply divided after more than 90 people died in last year's clashes between the army and demonstrators -- the kingdom's worst political violence in decades.

Later on Saturday the Red Shirts plan to hold the latest in a string of street rallies in the capital, expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters.

The mainly rural, working class Reds are broadly loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and lives overseas to avoid a jail sentence for corruption imposed in absentia.

They view the government as undemocratic because it came to power in 2008 in a parliamentary vote after a court ruling threw out the previous administration -- an accusation Abhisit's administration strongly denies.

Some Red Shirt leaders aim to stand as parliamentary candidates under Puea Thai in the upcoming election.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-03-19

[SomTumTiger]

PTP FAIL

[whybother]

Is anyone actually surprised?

[webfact]

off-topic post deleted

[whybother]

Abhisit - 249 for, 184 against.

Suthep - 249 for, 185 against

Korn - 245 for, 185 against

Chuti - 247 for, 185 against

Chaovarat - 250 for, 188 against

Sophon - 248 for, 188 against

Supachai - 243 for, 188 against

Kasit - 247 for, 188 against

[janverbeem]

Will there be an announcing soon that Mingkwan will be replaced as PM candidate for Peua Thai....................by one with Shinawatra roots?

[whybother]

Will there be an announcing soon that Mingkwan will be replaced as PM candidate for Peua Thai....................by one with Shinawatra roots?

Mingkwan has already volunteered, and apparently has the blessing of the boss.

Mingkwan reportedly has won a go-ahead from fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as Pheu Thai's patriarch and its de-facto leader, to become its prime ministerial candidate.

[SomTumTiger]

Sure he is the "Fall guy" for the PTP election fail that is about to happen.

[asiawatcher]

Can they have a censure no confidence debate against opposition as not being worthy to be in opposition? Bye bye Charlie....

[Sparkles]

What a total waste of time when the country is beset with so many problems.Daily kilings in the south, an education system that is one of the worst in Asia ,corruption at every level of society ,the list goes on and on and these elected fools trying to score points in parliament,pathetic.

[animatic]

Pretty much exactly as expected weeks ago, the only questions were the exact numbers they win by. PTP Fail. Well yes that really was a given, Chalerm was essentially trumpeting that a month ago. But wading in anyway to give some vague semblance of a old college try, all for naught.

Is there ONE LAW, that has been proposed, created, propagated

and shepherded through the legislative process by PTP?

Is there one that they started, but got lost in committee, that had nothing to do with ruining the Dems or saving Thaksin.

Please any one,

anything at all

to point to a reason

PTP should be allowed

to be called 'law makers'????

I really am interested in seeing SOMETHING that shows them doing the actual job of legislating

Edited March 19, 2011 by animatic

[janverbeem]

Will there be an announcing soon that Mingkwan will be replaced as PM candidate for Peua Thai....................by one with Shinawatra roots?

Mingkwan has already volunteered, and apparently has the blessing of the boss. http://www.thaivisa....s-pm-candidate/

Mingkwan reportedly has won a go-ahead from fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as Pheu Thai's patriarch and its de-facto leader, to become its prime ministerial candidate.

But that was before the confidence vote,which I read a few days ago Abhisit at no chance to survive,and Mingkwan was Thaksins hero.Today Abhisit came out of it as rhe winner so the cards are laying different for Peua Thai..

[whybother]

Will there be an announcing soon that Mingkwan will be replaced as PM candidate for Peua Thai....................by one with Shinawatra roots?

Mingkwan has already volunteered, and apparently has the blessing of the boss. http://www.thaivisa....s-pm-candidate/

Mingkwan reportedly has won a go-ahead from fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as Pheu Thai's patriarch and its de-facto leader, to become its prime ministerial candidate.

But that was before the confidence vote,which I read a few days ago Abhisit at no chance to survive,and Mingkwan was Thaksins hero.Today Abhisit came out of it as rhe winner so the cards are laying different for Peua Thai..

No. He said that last night.

[janverbeem]

But that was before the confidence vote,which I read a few days ago Abhisit at no chance to survive,and Mingkwan was Thaksins hero.Today Abhisit came out of it as rhe winner so the cards are laying different for Peua Thai..

No. He said that last night.

But the confidence vote was Today.

[whybother]

But that was before the confidence vote,which I read a few days ago Abhisit at no chance to survive,and Mingkwan was Thaksins hero.Today Abhisit came out of it as rhe winner so the cards are laying different for Peua Thai..

No. He said that last night.

But the confidence vote was Today.

But it wasn't about the vote, it was about the performance, and that finished last night.

Anyway, it's another month until the election is called, so anything could happen before then.

[MaiChai]

What a total waste of time when the country is beset with so many problems.Daily kilings in the south, an education system that is one of the worst in Asia ,corruption at every level of society ,the list goes on and on and these elected fools trying to score points in parliament,pathetic.

Exactly. Why don't they concentrate on convincing the electorate that they are worthy of power with policies rather than just showing themselves as bitter and twisted trying to blame the government for everything.

[rubl]

To remind some people what it should be about in general terms with indications how it varies in a few countries. Thailand not mentioned. Just for the fun of it I include a link to a list of PM's defeated in a no-confidence vote:

"A motion of non-confidence (alternatively vote of non-confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or weakening a government, or, rarely by an erstwhile supporter who has lost confidence in the government. The motion is passed or rejected by means of a new parliamentary vote (a vote of non-confidence)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_of_no_confidence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prime_ministers_defeated_by_votes_of_no_confidence

[Buchholz]

The premier -- who won 249 votes to 184 against him and 11 abstentions

PTP FAIL

But they didn't fail.

PTP Spokesman Prompong is now pointing the ubiquitous pointing accusatory finger at the Democrats saying that he's been informed that some MP's voted in favor of the Ministers because of receiving "eight digit" sums in bribe money, which I interpret to mean he's saying MP's were bribed xx,xxx,xxx (tens of millions) of baht.