Thai PM Prayuth wins confidence vote after frenzied rumors

3 years ago 297

BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has won a assurance ballot successful Parliament aft a frenzy of speculation implicit the constitution of the ruling coalition.

Rumors his ain governmental allies mightiness effort to unseat him had precocious overshadowed harsh disapproval from the absorption astir his government’s coronavirus response.

Thai media were alternatively abuzz with rumors that the secretary-general of the military-backed ruling enactment was starring the effort to unseat Prayuth and to adhd the main absorption enactment to the coalition.

Prayuth won 264 votes successful the House of Representatives against 208 nary assurance votes Saturday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier communicative is below:

Thai lawmakers are owed to ballot Saturday connected no-confidence motions filed against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and 5 members of his Cabinet, aft 4 days of absorption disapproval were overshadowed by heady speculation that his ain allies mightiness effort to unseat him.

Little attraction was fixed to the details of the opposition's harsh accusations that Prayuth’s medication had botched the coronavirus response, countenanced corruption and mismanaged the economy.

Thai media were alternatively abuzz with rumors that the secretary-general of the ruling, military-backed Palang Pracharath party, which enactment unneurotic the conjugation authorities that named Prayuth premier curate 2 years ago, was starring the effort to unseat him and propulsion the main absorption Pheu Thai enactment into the coalition.

Nonetheless, Prayuth and his colleagues are expected to prevail by winning a bulk successful the House of Representatives, which presently has 482 members.

What lent immoderate credibility to the rumors is the acheronian estimation of the Palang Pracharath secretary-general, Thammanat Prompao, who is lawman agriculture curate successful Prayuth’s Cabinet contempt being convicted successful Australia successful the 1990s for engagement successful heroin smuggling. He is held successful higher respect arsenic a governmental powerfulness broker who tin crook retired the ballot successful bluish Thailand.

There was nary nationalist confirmation of the rumors, which by Thursday included an accusation that Prayuth’s broadside was paying ample sums to guarantee lawmakers’ enactment — an accusation helium flatly denied. “Everyone came to greet me. As I hardly met them, they conscionable came to springiness maine the support. I would not bash specified nonsense happening (paying money),” helium told the absorption successful Parliament.

At the aforesaid time, thoroughfare protests person been pressuring Prayuth to measurement down. Pro-democracy activists person been seeking his resignation since past twelvemonth and stepped up their efforts successful caller weeks. Major, though not huge, rallies were held this past week successful defiance of limitations connected the size of nationalist gatherings arsenic a virus-fighting measure.

Prayuth and his authorities person survived 2 erstwhile no-confidence debates since helium was named premier curate aft a 2019 wide election. But helium is present seen arsenic susceptible owed to his government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, peculiarly its nonaccomplishment to unafraid timely and capable supplies of COVID-19 vaccines.

He faced nary specified challenges erstwhile helium was junta main and premier curate successful a subject authorities installed aft helium staged a coup arsenic service commandant successful 2014, toppling an elected government.

The different Cabinet members targeted this clip were Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob from the Bhumjai Thai Party, Labor Minister Suchat Chomklin and Digital Economy Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn from Palang Pracharath, and Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sri-on from the Democrat Party.

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