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Thailand’s ruling party will not dissolve the house until after the final APEC meeting this November, according to sources inside the ruling party, and despite the prime minister refusing to comment on related questions.
The ruling Palang Pracharat Party has been under pressure from both the opposition and high profile defections over the past year. Its response to the Covid pandemic and the struggling economy, which has been exacerbated by rising fuel prices and inflation, have also become increasingly scrutinized by the public and major business groups over the same time period.
As a result, there is a growing consensus among the PPRP and coalition partners that a fresh election and mandate would be the best way forward.
“With the departure of Thammanat (Prompao) and all these rumours surrounding the BJT and Democrat Party, I think a few of us think that dissolving the house is the best road forward,” one senior PPRP MP told Thai Enquirer on condition of anonymity.
“But the prime minister and the party leader [Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan] do not want to dissolve the house until after the APEC conference which they view as a prestige thing,” he said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha was asked by reporters about dissolving the house after APEC but the former junta leader refused to answer questions.
Prayut has come under increasing pressure from within his own party after the high profile departure of Thammanat and it is thought that he may splinter off and form his own party ahead of the next polls, whenever they are held.