Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha abruptly adjourned a meeting on Friday after an inconclusive debate on a motion proposed by a Move Forward Party MP to review the earlier rejection of the renomination of Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister.
The meeting was originally intended for lawmakers to vote on a prime ministerial candidate from the Pheu Thai Party. Members were also expected to consider a draft bill proposed by Move Forward seeking to amend Section 272 of the constitution, which gives senators the power to vote along with MPs in the selection of the prime minister.
However, the vote for prime minister was postponed after the Constitutional Court said on Thursday it needed until Aug 16 to decide whether to rule on a petition challenging parliament’s decision to block a second attempt to nominate Mr Pita for the premiership.
Remaining on the agenda was the MFP’s draft bill seeking to amend Section 272 of the constitution.
The parliament meeting was scheduled to begin at 9.30am. However, only 239 of the 747 active members of the House and Senate had signed in, and it took another hour before enough members were present for a quorum.
When the meeting finally began, Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward list MP, asked parliament to review its resolution passed on July 19 to reject the renomination of Mr Pita, who failed to win approval in the first round of voting on July 13.
But Mr Wan rejected the motion. He said all concerned should wait for the Constitutional Court to decide on the matter. If parliament proceeded with the motion as proposed, it might contravene the court’s power, he said.
His decision drew protests from MPs, including Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew, who rose to speak in support of Mr Rangsiman’s motion.
Prapan Khunmee, a senator, said proposing a motion to overturn a parliament resolution could not be done, and Mr Rangsiman’s proposal should be rejected.
After about 30 minutes of debate without a conclusion, Mr Wan rose abruptly and declared: “As the president of Parliament, I hereby order today’s meeting adjourned.”
The meeting was adjourned at 11.27am amid protests.
Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha (right) leaves the chamber after adjourning the meeting on Friday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)