Description: The caretaker government under the Pheu Thai party has announced their willingness to dissolve the country’s Parliament and call for early elections in a bid to counter the Bhumjaithai party from snatching the Prime Minister’s spot. Bhumjaithai’s leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, announced on 02 Sep that he has gathered the necessary votes from the dominant and influential People’s Party and was eligible to be selected as the country’s next Prime Minister, after Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed ex – Prime Minister earlier this week, Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Pheu Thai’s Secretary General, Sorawong Thienthong, announced the party has decided to file a motion to dissolve the Parliament and call for early elections, pending the approval of Thailand’s King. Lawmakers disputed the legality of the decision, claiming that a caretaker government can’t dissolve the Parliament and deemed the decision to be unconstitutional.
Impact: Thailand’s People’s Party has become a target of political calculations and influential lobbying from the rivaling Pheu Thai and the Bhumjaithai parties. By holding most seats in Thailand’s Parliament, the People’s Party has the political capital to currently decide the future of the country’s ruling establishment through aligning itself with one of the competing parties. Predecessor of Thailand’s Move Forward political movement, the party was blocked from governing after winning the 2023 elections and pledging to disrupt the country’s dominant monarchy while distancing the political landscape from influential political dynasties such as the Shinawatras. Pending the King’s approval, Thailand would most likely hold general elections, which under constitutional provisions would have to be held in the next 45 to 60 days. Bhumjaithai emerges as the evident alternative to the Pheu Thai party, however, the elections could represent an alternative political battlefront for the Pheu Thai, where considering Thailand’s political history of transforming alliances and shifts in influence among business lobbyists, could result in the reemergence of the Pheu Thai after Paetongtarn’s dismissal.