Senators should respect decision of MPs on PM election, say 85% of people

The network, consisting of academics and media firms, conducted the opinion survey by smartphone from noon on May 15 until noon on May 18. As many as 3.48 million people responded to the survey.

A total of 85% of respondents answered "agree" to the question: “Do you agree that senators should vote for the prime minister candidate in accordance with the decision of the majority of MPs?”, while 15% disagreed.

The network said senators should follow the people's voice in voting for the prime minister, as they have authority similar to the MPs, but they have not been elected by the people.

"The parliamentary system allows people to elect the prime minister by voting for MP candidates and political parties," the network said, "Any party that wins the majority of votes should be able to form a government."

It added that Move Forward Party's government coalition has 313 seats in the 500-seat House of Representatives, but it needs the support of another 63 MPs, should the 250 senators appointed by the the junta-appointed decline to back their candidate.

The network also urged the Election Commission (EC) to be fair in announcing the May 14 general election results to gain the confidence of the people.

It added that the EC should allow the Constitutional Court to consider the eligibility of MP candidates.