On Thursday, Sorawong Thienthong, Member of Parliament for Sa Kaeo and Secretary-General of the Pheu Thai Party, affirmed that the acting Prime Minister, or any individual performing the duties of the Prime Minister, possesses full authority to submit a royal recommendation to dissolve the House of Representatives. This step, he clarified, lies within the powers of the executive branch.
From the legislative perspective, the Pheu Thai Party reasserted its final proposal: should the parliamentary vote for Prime Minister proceed tomorrow, and the majority entrust Chaikasem Nitisiri—the party’s last remaining prime ministerial candidate—as the new Prime Minister, Pheu Thai pledges that after the swearing-in ceremony and delivering the policy statement before parliament, an immediate dissolution of the House will follow.
When asked if this final proposal was intended to persuade the People’s Party to back Pheu Thai, Sorawong stated that this is not a demand for any particular party’s support, but rather, a consensus on what they believe is currently the best solution for the nation. This matter has been under discussion, and Pheu Thai’s sincere intention is to return power to the people. Today, this final offer is being extended to all political parties in the House of Representatives.
On whether this proposal aims to prevent Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party from becoming Prime Minister, Sorawong responded that it’s up to individual MPs’ judgment, but reaffirmed that the party is intended to put forward its final Prime Ministerial candidate as the 32nd Prime Minister.
On whether this proposal comes too late, given the recent support agreement between the People’s Party and Bhumjaithai Party, Sorawong said that everything can be reconsidered. The MOU can proceed as signed—Pheu Thai job is to continue its parliamentary duties. He affirmed that the party remains ready to sign any agreement if discussions with the People’s Party warrant it. Nothing is ever too late, as nothing has been finalized, he remarked.
