Pheu Thai told to dissolve parliament without waiting for the People's party

The ruling Pheu Thai party was told today, by the opposition People's party, to go ahead with House dissolution without waiting for the party’s hoped-for support for its prime ministerial candidate.

Parit Wacharasindhu said that the ultimate goal of the People's party is for the House to be dissolved and not for a new prime minister to administer the country in its current state for even longer.

Parit spoke while taking a break from a tense meeting of the party’s MPs and executive committee members, called to discuss whether to support the prime ministerial candidate of the Pheu Thai party, Chaikasem Nitisiri, or Anutin Charnvirakul of Bhumjaithai, both of which are trying to woo the People's party’s support for the House vote.

The participants in the meeting today were divided into those supporting the Pheu Thai party, those supporting the Bhumjaithai party and those in favour of not supporting either. So, due to level of division, the meeting is expected to resume tomorrow, as MPs who were absent today will attend.

Nonetheless, House dissolution by a caretaker prime minister may not be possible. The Council of State is of the opinion that asking the Monarch to dissolve the House can only be done a prime minister in office, not by a caretaker.

Some legal experts insist that only the King has the prerogative to dissolve parliament upon request by a sitting prime minister.

Kaewsan Atibodhi, a former law lecturer at Thammasat University, said that Phumtham, as caretaker, must have a very good reason to recommend that the King dissolves parliament and warned that, if His Majesty rejects his recommendation, Phumtham would have to resign immediately.

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai party, reminded Phumtham of the consequences suffered by former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 and Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014.