Thailand Bars Election Winner From PM Race as Tension Builds
- Stakes raised for ally Pheu Thai to win next PM vote in one go
- Pita asks supporters to fight alongside him after the setback
Photographer: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Thailand’s parliament barred Pita Limjaroenrat from running for prime minister, keeping the leader of the party that won the May general election from heading the next government.
A majority 395 members in the 748-strong bicameral National Assembly — which comprises the newly elected lower house and the military-appointed Senate — voted to keep Pita from trying for the post again after a previous attempt was blocked, according to results announced by House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha after a marathon debate lasting almost eight hours Wednesday. The decision came shortly after a court suspended Pita as a lawmaker, pending a final verdict on his disqualification over alleged breach of election rules.