A majority of people are of the opinion that Move Forward, the party with the most MPs in the House of Representatives, should assume the role of opposition leader, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was conducted on Sept 5-7 by telephone interviews with 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes throughout the country to compiled their opinions on whether the Move Forward Party should take the posts of deputy speaker or opposition leader in the House of Representatives.
Asked which of the roles of deputy House speaker and opposition leader is more important, 38.40% said they are equally important; 29.85% chose the opposition leader; 28.55% the deputy House speaker; 1.68% said neither role is important; and 1.52% had no answer or were not interested.
Asked which of the roles the Move Forward Party should take, a majority – 56.11% – chose the role of opposition leader; 39.08% said the party should retain the post of deputy House speaker; and 4.81% had no answer or were not interested.
Asked whether the Move Forward Party and the Democrat Party would be able to work with one another in the opposition bloc, a majority, 65.80% said "yes" – 37.25% fairly well and 28.55% very well. On the other side, 30.61% said "no" – with 17.79% saying they would not be able to get along well and 12.82% saying they would not be able to get along at all.
The rest, 3.59%, had no answer or were not interested.
The Move Forward Party, with the most MPs in the opposition bloc, is still reluctant to take the post of opposition leader, reasoning that the Constitutional Court has yet to rule on the MP status of its leader Pita Limjaroenrat. The Constitutional Court has been asked to rule whether Mr Pita was still holding shares in a media firm when he applied to run in the May 14 election.
If the party chooses to take the post of opposition leader, its MP Padipat Suntiphada, who has been elected Deputy House Speaker, would have to relinquish the position.
Section 106 of the constitution stipulates that after the cabinet has taken office, the King will appoint the opposition leader who is the leader of a political party in the House of Representatives with the largest number of MPs in the opposition bloc – with none of them being a cabinet member, House speaker or deputy House speaker.