The Ombudsman on Monday asked the Constitutional Court to order the parliament to postpone the next vote for prime minister, and to rule on the rejected renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

The secretary-general of the Office of the Ombudsman said 17 complaints had been filed objecting to parliament rejecting the renomination of Mr Pita for prime minister, saying it was a violation of their constitutional rights.

The complaints came from both members of the public and members of the parliament, he said.

Some complainants proposed the Constitutional Court postpone the next parliamentary vote for prime minister pending a ruling by the court. The next round of voting is scheduled for Thursday, he said.

The Ombudsman asked the Constitutional Court to postpone the prime ministerial vote by the House and the Senate pending a ruling, to prevent any damage that would be difficult to fix in the future, the secretary-general said.

The parliament on July 19 rejected the renomination of Mr Pita for prime minister. His opponents argued that parliamentary regulation 41 bans the resubmission of a failed motion during the same session, and that included Mr Pita's renomination.

Pro-Pita parties argued that the nomination of Mr Pita for prime minister was not a general motion and should not be subject to regulation 41.