By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY TO OUST Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and have Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan take his place has involved Pheu Thai Party and Thai Economic Party, according to Pheu Chart Party leader Saranwut Saranket.
Saranwut said yesterday (May 7) the ongoing conspiracy to oust Prayut from the top post of government which he has held onto for nearly eight years has been hatched up for Pheu Thai Party and Thai Economic Party, among others, to take part in the alleged plot at parliament in near future.
The Pheu Thai-led opposition bloc yesterday reassured the Prayut regime is counting down to end due to some important issues most of which will be put on agenda of the House scheduled to reopen on May 22.
The leader of Pheu Chart Party which currently is in the opposition bloc alleged that Pheu Thai Party, the largest opposition camp, has aimed to oust Prayut and to help promote Prawit as replacement for the embattled premier.
The deputy premier could possibly become a caretaker premier if the current one steps down under pressure until the House has found a new head of government within three to seven days.
Saranwut alleged that Pheu Thai leader Chonlanan Srikaew has obviously avoided taking Prawit to task because the deputy premier could probably help with the anti-Prayut conspiracy.
Also allegedly involved in the anti-Prayut conspiracy are the so-called Group 16 consisting of MPs of pro-government splinter parties, most of which only have one MP each, and headed by Palang Pracharath MP Pichet Sathirachawan.
Whilst the Pheu Thai-led opposition MPs will almost certainly cast votes of no-confidence against Prayut, MPs led by both Pichet and Thai Economic Party secretary-general Thammanat Prompao will either abstain from voting or join the opposition bloc in voting down the premier during the censure/no-confidence motion expected in early July.
According to Pheu Thai secretary-general Prasert Chanthararuangthong, the premier will be faced with certain issues which could possibly send him reeling out of the top government post, respectively including the 2023 budget bill, organic laws on the election for MPs and political parties, the planned censure/no-confidence motion and his eight-year tenure as premier which is maximumly provided by law and might probably end in the upcoming August.
Meanwhile, Saranwut charged that Thammanat is quietly acting as a go-between Pheu Thai Party and Prawit under the alleged conspiracy against Prayut.
“They have made a secret deal between themselves as part of the conspiracy which may be entitled ‘Depose Prayut, Promote Prawit’,” Saranwut said.
Last October, Saranwut was ousted from Pheu Thai Party due to his previous performance in the opposite direction to partisan resolutions and then joined Pheu Chart Party where he was given the post of party leader following the resignation of MP Songkram Kitlertphairoj from it.
Thammanat is invariably viewed as closely associated with Prawit though the former has been formally ousted from the latter’s camp alongside 20 other Palang Pracharath MPs earlier this year. Of that total, 18 renegade MPs led by Thammanat have joined the brand-new Thai Economic Party.
Prayut and Thammanat have held grudges against each other since the former made a surprise reshuffle of his cabinet shortly following last September’s censure/no-confidence motion by deposing the latter as deputy agriculture & cooperatives minister.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.
Home Page: Pheu Chart Party leader Saranwut Saranket. Both photos: Matichon
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