The bid of Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Thailand’s opposition group Move Forward, to form a coalition government hit a setback when a key political party said it won’t back a prime minister who wants to relax the law against criticizing the monarchy.

The Bhumjaithai Party, which came in third in Sunday’s vote with about 70 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, said Wednesday night that it would rather stand in the opposition than be part of a coalition led by a party that wants to amend Article 112. That’s Thailand’s “lese majeste” law that can put offenders in jail for as many as 15 years if convicted of royal insults.

“This is Bhumjaithai’s core principle that cannot be changed or negotiated,” the party said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Bhumjaithai cannot vote for a prime minister candidate of a party that has a proposal to amend or abolish Article 112.”

The issue is proving to be a roadblock in Move Forward’s bid to form a government after it stunned the nation by winning Sunday’s parliamentary election. Earlier this week, Thaksin Shinawatra also sought to distance his family from the push of Pita’s party to “lese majeste” even as Pheu Thai party which the former premier backs had agreed to join hands with Move Forward.

The 42-year-old Harvard-educated Pita is seeking 376 votes in the lower house to bypass the military-appointed senate for him to become Thailand’s 30th premier. The coalition said it has secured about 310 seats so far, which means the 70 held by Bhumjaithai could prove pivotal.

Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader and prime minister candidate of Bhumjaithai, played kingmaker after the 2019 election before eventually siding with the military-backed Palang Pracharath and securing ministry positions for his party.

The decision of Anutin’s party not to back Pita for prime minister means Move Forward will now need to look to pro-royalist senators and the conservative Democrat Party for support after previously ruling out any alliance with military backed groups.

The push to directly change laws affecting the monarchy breaks a longstanding taboo in Thailand, where in years past, even the suggestion of disloyalty to the palace had been grounds for the military to stage a coup.

Move Forward vowed to press ahead with the reform after the election. Pita has since said preliminary talks about government formation are going well and the bloc will hold a briefing Thursday in Bangkok to reveal details about a memorandum of understanding between the parties.

--With assistance from Suttinee Yuvejwattana.

Author: Philip J. Heijmans and Patpicha Tanakasempipat