BANGKOK, Sept 3 (TNA) – Thailand’s political impasse intensifies after the ruling Pheu Thai Party seeks House dissolution as its main rival Bhumjaithai Party has garnered support from the opposition People’s Party to form a new government.
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirms Wednesday morning that the ruling Pheu Thai party had sought royal approval to dissolve the parliament to pave the way for a new election, citing a “distorted democracy” and a need to return power to the people.
Phumtham’s announcement followed a morning press conference where the People’s Party, the largest party in the House, announced its decision to support Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul’s premiership bid following the Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss Paetongtarn Shinawatra over the leaked phone conversation with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen.
The People’s Party stated Anutin and Bhumjaithai Party had accepted its conditions including House dissolution within four months and a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution.
However, Caretaker Prime Minister Phumtham said the arrangement would create an unstable minority government and a political climate rife with confusion. He stated that after consulting legal experts, he concluded that seeking a House dissolution was the most viable option to restore public confidence and resolve the political deadlock.
Earlier, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the People’s Party leader, said in a press conference that his party’s decision was aimed at pushing for a timely election and a new constitution. He acknowledged that while the agreement could be broken, doing so would come at a high political cost for Bhumjaithai.
In the latest development, Bhumjaithai leader Anutin has led 146 MPs in a press conference to announce the formation of a new government, accepting five conditions from the People’s Party.
Under the agreement, the People’s Party has set five conditions for supporting Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister. First, he must dissolve Parliament within four months for a general election. Second and third, depending on a Constitutional Court ruling, the new government must either hold a referendum or expedite an amendment to the constitution to create a new, elected charter-drafting assembly. Fourth, the Bhumjaithai Party must not try to form a majority government to ensure the four-month deadline is met. Lastly, the People’s Party will remain in the opposition and will not accept any ministerial roles.
Anutin confirmed that the process of selecting a prime minister would proceed legally, noting that Parliament remains active despite Pheu Thai’s move to dissolve it.
Adding to the confusion, there has also been an uncertainty on the legality of Pheu Thai’s House dissolution bid as many experts argue that a caretaker premier has no authority on that matter. – 819 (812) (TNA)
