The reformist party that won Thailand’s general election was on Wednesday excluded from a coalition trying to form a government, as lawmakers seek a way around resistance from military and pro-royalist senators.
The Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May’s election, riding a wave of support from young and urban Thais weary of almost a decade of army-backed rule, but it fell well short of a majority.
An eight-party coalition, including MFP’s closest rival, Pheu Thai, was not enough to get its leader Pita Limjaroenrat elected prime minister, leaving the kingdom in political deadlock.
Harvard-educated Pita, 42, was blocked from the top job by the senate – whose members were handpicked by the last junta – because of his determination to reform Thailand’s tough royal defamation laws.
After weeks of backroom haggling, Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew announced that MFP was out of the coalition.
“The formation of the new government will not include MFP,” he told reporters. — AFP
