Bangkok: The Secretary-General of the House of Representatives has clarified the requirements for nominating a prime minister, confirming that a party needs at least 25 MPs to propose a candidate.
According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Lt. Col. Triapat Sukhanant explained that even if a candidate's name is on the list, it will not be effective unless the party has the required number of MPs. For a new prime ministerial election, a nominee must be on the list submitted to the Election Commission before the election. A party must have 5% of the 500 MPs, which equates to 25 MPs, as stipulated by Section 159, paragraph 1.
Currently, with 495 MPs in the House of Representatives, 5% is calculated as 24.75. The Palang Pracharath Party, which now has fewer than 20 MPs, cannot nominate their list candidate, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, as prime minister under Section 159, paragraph 1.