National —
At 9:45 AM on August 13th, 2024, Thai national media questioned Wissanu Krea-ngam, the advisor to the Prime Minister, regarding Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s closing statement in court following the impeachment request by a group of 40 senators.
Thai national media inquired what would happen if the Thai Constitutional Court ruled against the Prime Minister on August 14th, Wissanu stated that if the ruling goes unfavorably, Srettha and the Cabinet would be dismissed.
However, Srettha could remain as acting Prime Minister until a new Prime Minister is sworn in, which could take several weeks. Wissanu also noted that Srettha could delegate the acting Prime Minister, role to a Deputy Prime Minister if needed.
Regarding whether Srettha could return as a candidate if removed from office, Wissanu suggested that it might be possible, but the final decision would depend on the court’s ruling.
When asked if an acting Prime Minister could dissolve the House of Representatives, Wissanu confirmed that it was possible, adding that the acting Prime Minister still retained full authority.
Wissanu also mentioned that if the Prime Minister is removed, the next Prime Minister must be selected from the candidate list of a party with at least 25 supporting MPs. The option for an outsider to be selected as PM has expired, along with the Senate’s power to choose a PM under Section 272 of the Constitution.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
