UTN's Support Suggests PTP-Led Coalition Will Likely Succeed In Forming Gov't

The pro-military United Thai Nation (UTN) party declared that it will join a coalition led by the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) and will support its candidate for Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

• Thai Enquirer highlights that this means that the PTP-led coalition now has the support of 274 MPs, but if the 40 MPs from the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and 2 MPs from two smaller parties remain committed to voting for Srettha, the coalition would have the support of 316 MPs.
• While this falls short of the 375 votes needed to install a Prime Minister, the support of two key pro-military parties (UTN and PPRP) suggests that the coalition would likely be backed by a sufficient number of junta-appointed Senators.
• Khaosod reporter Pravit Rojanaphruk wrote that "Pheu Thai almost undoubtedly will be able to form the new government. The question is: will it be more of a Pheu Thai-led coalition or de facto pro-junta-parties-ed coalition since without the latter, the government will fall."
• Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha said that he was ready to inform parliamentary whips that the next round of the PM vote will take place on Tuesday. It should start at 15:00 local time and finish within two hours.