Thailand’s prime minister resists his fourth no-confidence motion in three years

July 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan Ocha, has once again overcome this Saturday a motion of censure promoted by the opposition parties, who denounce his economic mismanagement, in a new act of political survival before the general elections scheduled for early of the next year.

In the fourth such vote facing the leader since 2019, Prayuth received the backing of 256 lawmakers on Saturday, while 206 voted against him, after a four-day debate. Ten other cabinet members also defeated the opposition parties’ no-confidence motion.

The survival of Prayuth and his ministers dispelled uncertainty over the fate of the 2023 fiscal budget bill, crucial to ensuring the recovery of an economy that has lagged behind its regional peers. Lawmakers are expected to meet again to deliberate on the budget bill in second and third readings next month.

Analysts already anticipated that the prime minister would endure the vote despite the complications he has gone through before he calls the next elections. Prayuth, who will mark eight years as prime minister next month since he took power in a 2014 coup, has seen a steady decline in his popularity.

In the latest independent opinion poll, Prayuth trailed far behind Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

The baht, the national currency, has lost more than 9% this year, falling this week to a new low of 2006 to become one of the weakest currencies among emerging markets. Thailand is also struggling to control inflation, which has accelerated to a 14-year high.