Thailand's ruling party seeks snap election to thwart rival's PM bid

There has been a dramatic scramble for power in Thailand since Friday's sacking of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by a court, with Pheu Thai, the long dominant ruling party of the billionaire Shinawatra political dynasty, clinging on desperately to avert a humiliating fall from grace.

Pheu Thai, the populist political juggernaut that won five of the past six elections, has been struggling to firm up a fragile coalition that has been haemorrhaging support as Bhumjaithai, a smaller renegade party that quit the alliance in June, embarked on a spree of dealmaking to challenge for the premiership.

Days of political deadlock looked to have been broken early on Wednesday when the progressive opposition People's Party, which holds nearly a third of lower house seats, announced it would back Bhumjaithai's leader,Anutin Charnvirakul, in return for his promise to dissolve parliament within four months.

"We know that the formation of this government that will proceed from now on, we know that the People's Party has cooperated and made sacrifices in finding a solution for Thailand during a period of crises," Anutin told reporters.

The prime minister's dismissal for an ethics violation was the latest twist in a tumultuous, two-decade grudge match among Thailand's rival elites. Paetongtarn was the sixth premier from or backed by the Shinawatra family to be ousted by the military or judiciary and the second in the space of a year.

SYSTEM 'TWISTED'

Pheu Thai, founded and driven from behind the scenes by polarising tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, sought to head off Anutin's gambit by petitioning the monarch to approve the dissolution of parliament. The party argued it was necessary to end the political impasse and stabilise a troubled economy.

"The situation right now shows how the democratic system has been twisted," said Pheu Thai's Phumtham Wechayachai, the acting prime minister.

"We decided to hand power back to the people to decide. But this is a royal prerogative," he said of the endorsement required by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

However, there are conflicting opinions among law experts in Thailand, as to whether a caretaker government has the authority to seek house dissolution.

Anutin, 58, a former health minister and COVID-19 tsar who campaigned successfully to decriminalise cannabis in Thailand, said he would lead a minority government that would stay in power for only four months until a new election could be called.

He said his coalition included seven parties and groups comprising 146 parliamentary seats.

The decisive player will be the hugely popular opposition People's Party, whose predecessor won the 2023 election on an anti-establishment platform but was blocked from power by conservative lawmakers allied with the royalist military.

The People's Party will not join Anutin's government, but has guaranteed him support of its 143 lawmakers, which would help him pass the required threshold of 247 votes - or half of the lower house - to become prime minister.

People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said the decision to side with Bhumjaithai was to prevent interference by powerful interests outside of politics, or the return of a coalition government that was not fit to rule again.

A parliamentary vote on a new prime minister could take place on Friday, he said.

"Our decision is about finding a solution for the country based on parliamentary democratic principles, preventing outside forces from interfering, and unlocking the process towards a new constitution and returning the power to the people as soon as possible," Natthaphong said.