Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward political party, that just received the most votes in the Thai election has promised that his government will engage with all stakeholders in Myanmar to try to achieve peace.

The statement was made in a Tweet he put out on the evening of Sunday 21 May when Pita also called for assistance for the victims of cyclone Mocha in Myanmar.

The Tweet said:

“My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Myanmar today, especially those who lost their lives, families and homes from the Cyclone Mocha.

I call on the Thai caretaker government and the international community to expedite the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Cyclone, with priorities given to those in dire need first. This is in line with my new foreign policy agenda as PM-Elect.

My policies on Myanmar will engage with all stakeholders, focusing on human security considerations, including humanitarian and economic aspects. These will be implemented with a view to achieving mutual peace and prosperity for Thailand, Myanmar, ASEAN and beyond.”

Currently, Pita is trying to establish a coalition to vote him in as Prime Minister, but despite his party’s resounding victory in the polls, he may not be able to do so because a majority of the 750 representatives in the lower house and the senate have to vote for him.

Unfortunately, all the senators were nominated by the military and military-aligned parties and despite Move Forward carrying the popular vote they are unlikely to vote for Pita as PM. If this happens, Move Forward will have to get a majority of votes from the lower house for Pita to become PM, but currently, they do not have quite enough support in the lower house to push through the vote.