New name emerges as Thais hope to pick next PM: Who is Srettha Thavisin?

Pita Limjaroenrat, out. Srettha Thavisin, in.

Move Forward Party, the up-and-coming political group led by Pita, which surpisingly won the most seats in Thailand's May parliamentary polls, has been excluded from the coalition to form the next government, its former ally announced on Wednesday. This happened amid strong opposition from military-allied senators over Pita's proposed reform of laws surrounding the country’s monarchy.

The announcement by the more established opposition Pheu Thai Party comes as the new bloc nominated real estate tycoon, Srettha Thavisin, as its candidate for prime minister.

With the news, Pita Limjaroenrat's prospects of becoming the next prime minister has been officially put to a halt, although his political future may be far from over. Two weeks ago, the 42-year-old was dramatically suspended from parliament, while seated in the chamber for discussions on his candidacy. After the suspension, lawmakers refused to consider his candidacy for a second ballot.

On Wednesday, Chonlanan Srikaew, the leader of the Pheu Thai, the second-biggest party in parliament, said that other parties and members of the military-appointed Senate could not accept Move Forward’s proposal to amend the country's strict laws forbidding defamation of the monarchy.

Thailand’s parliament, also known as the National Assembly, is divided into two chambers: the 500-seat House of Representatives and the 250-member Senate. According to the military junta-endorsed 2017 Constitution, to become prime minister, the candidate needs the support of 50 percent plus one of the 750 seats from both chambers.

On his first nomination, Pita won an overwhelming 305 votes from the House, but only secured 13 votes among the unelected and military-nominated senators, putting him at least 52 votes shy of the 376 majority.

Now Srettha Thavisin's most immediate job as the new prime minister nominee is to secure the same number of votes, if not more.

Reform of lese-majeste law a sticking point

After talks with the other seven coalition parties, Pheu Thai's Chonlanan said they would try to woo more senators in order to reach the 376 votes needed for a majority to elect Srettha.

If this looked unlikely, Chonlanan said they would approach other lower house parties to try to get their votes.

Crucial to any deal will be the thorny issue of reforming the law on lese-majeste, an offence against the dignity of the country's ruling monarch.

Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said a government led by his party would not support amending article 112 but would focus on solving economic and political problems - a move seen as a concession to the conservatives and the military, who are considered royalists.

Pro-military and conservative parties had already signaled earlier that they will not endorse any government that includes Move Forward.

When asked on Tuesday about his position, Srettha said he would not seek to abolish or amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

"There will certainly be no amending of Section 112," he said. "Pheu Thai has made it clear that the law will not be amended or abolished. If we want to see the country move forward and a new government successfully set up, the Section 112 issue must be set aside."

Even if they are excluded from the government, Move Forward had already indicated that they will allow Pheu Thai Party to lead the formation of the new government and support the Pheu Thai PM candidate on the condition that neither Phalang Pracharath nor the United Thai Nation Party, which previously supported Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, be included in the coalition.

"The important thing today is not whether Pita is Prime Minister but whether Thailand can return to democracy," said Move Forward Party’s secretary general, Chaitawat Tulathon. Move Forward Party has 151 seats in the House of Representatives.

With pragmatism prevailing among the opposition and the political stars aligned, it looks more likely that Srettha could become the country's next prime minister.

Who is Sreet Thavisin?

Property tycoon Srettha Thavisin, was originally one of Pheu Thai's three PM candidates, alongside former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and former attorney general, Chaikasem Nitisiri.

A successful entrepreneur liked by business leaders from the more conservative Thai elite, Srettha is seen as more palatable to the establishment than Pita.

With a towering height of 1.93 metres (6'4" feet), Srettha was a dominant figure during the May 2023 campaign for parliament, which Pheu Thai had expected to win by a landslide. Instead, they landed second place with 141 seats behind Move Forward.

According to Khaosod, a Thai news website, the 60-year-old businessman is considered "a representative of liberal political ideas, but not too extreme."

As head of the multi-billion dollar real estate company, Sansiri, the US-trained businessman, also had experience in governing.

"He stresses the importance of addressing the problems of economic and social inequality that need to be solved," Khaosod wrote of Srettha, who only entered politics in 2022 after decades spent in business, including the multi-national company, Procter and Gamble.

He is married for over 34 years to a medical specialist in elderly care and they have three children together.

A Voice of America article published during the May campaign season described Srettha as "straight-talking" politician who "lacks the instant sparkle that generates mass appeal" but has "business acumen that could evoke the confidence of millions of voters" and "a flair for brand building".

It appears that Srettha also has the confidence of Thaksin Shinawatra, the still influential former prime minister and brother of another former prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Srettha told VoA that his decades of friendship with his fellow businessman, Thaksin, eventually led him to politics. He also said that the despair he felt after the ouster of Thaksin and his sister, as well as the military takeover that followed played in his decision to enter politics last year.

In the same interview, Srettha expressed his disdain for the military takeover of Thailand, and said that he would not be able to govern with them, signaling a possible major hurdle with the military-backed senators.

But he could still convince enough of the 250-member parliament to win, given his reputation among the more conservative Thai elites, who are seen as supportive of the royal family. One senator, Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, however, announced on Tuesday that she would not exercise her right as an appointed senator to vote for a prime minister, no matter who is nominated. Another senator resigned, Renu Tunkachivangoon, had tendered her resignation on July 12.

On Tuesday, Srettha told reporters that if elected prime minister, his priority would not be politics, but the economy and the welfare of the Thai voters.

"Today, the issues of the economy and the people's livelihoods are most important. What we have to do first is to make sure the people have enough to eat and that the economy improves," he was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post.

On Friday, August 4, the combined two houses of parliament are due to convene anew to vote for a new prime minister. Thai voters would finally know if they have their next leader in Srettha Thavisin.

However, in a late development on Thursday that is expected to prolong the country's political deadlock, Thailand's house speaker, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, announced that the vote would be postponed until after the Constitutional Court rules on August 16 on an appeal by Move Forward against the thwarting of its bid to appoint a premier.