Democrat Party To Abstain In Tomorrow's PM Vote

Khaosod reports that the Democrat Party resolved not to support Pita Limjaroenrat during tomorrow's PM vote and its 25 MPs will abstain from voting, due to the MFP's proposal to amend the lese-majeste law.

• The decision further lowers the odds of Pita being elected Prime Minister in the first round of voting, with multiple local media outlets suggesting that the EC's decision to refer his shareholding case to the top court will discourage most Senators from backing his bid to become head of government.
• Initial comments from the Democrats' caretaker deputy leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot raised hopes that they might potentially boost Pita's numbers in the National Assembly, even as they are not part of the pro-democracy coalition. Soon after the election, Alongkorn said that the party would "respect the people's vote" and support Pita if he gets the majority of votes in the House.
• However, a leadership crisis in the Democrat Party cast doubt on these initial declarations. The Democrat Party has failed to elect a new leader since the resignation of Jurin Laksanawisit in the wake of a disappointing performance in the recent general election. The initial attempt to elect a new leader collapsed on Sunday, with the party struggling to form a unified political stance.