Parliament has chosen Thailand’s prime minister. Business tycoon Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party secured more than enough of the 374 votes needed to become the Kingdom’s leader during Thailand’s parliamentary vote today.
By the end of the vote, the 61-year-old who was the sole candidate in the bid for the PM position, gained a total of 481 votes for his ascension, with 330 from the House of Representatives and 151 from the Senate. A total of 165 opposed his candidacy while 81 abstained.
Srettha will lead a coalition of 14 parties that includes two pro-military parties affiliated with outgoing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha – Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation. Move Forward was excluded from the coalition due to the party’s stance on amending the lese majeste law, a reason why Pheu Thai says the Move Forward-led coalition could not gain…
