On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam gave an interview regarding the possibility of a political vacuum emerging after the 14 May election.

(Photo from Prachachat.net)

If it turns out that a number of parties obtain almost an equal number of seats in parliament and cannot form a government, Wissanu insisted that there could definitely be no political vacuum, as Section 270 of the Constitution directs what to do in such a situation. However, it may mean that the formation of a new government may take longer than usual. 

“If you mean a political vacuum as the inability to do anything, this is not the case,” Wissanu said.

Wissanu explained that even in the worst case, Section 169 of the Constitution allows the caretaker government to continue administering, such as spending the central budget. 

He stated that the first thing that needs to be done is to select the President of Parliament. Subsequently, the parties will start to form coalitions. The Election Commission (EC) must announce the official results within 60 days of the election, but the Constitution does not impose an exact deadline on the selection of a new PM. Wissanu believed that a new government can be eventually be formed. 

He said that it is difficult to predict a repetition of the political turmoil after the 2019 election when the government was formed by a party which did not win the greatest number of House seats, as we do not yet know which party will hold a majority of seats in Parliament.

In response to rumours, Wissanu said that a minority government should not be formed, but in the last resort, a minority government may turn into a majority government through negotiation with smaller parties. Otherwise, a minority government will not last until the next budget bill comes before the House. 

Wissanu remarked that he does not expect a minority government again. He prefers instead to see a government from the parties holding a majority of House seats from the beginning. And this is what every party expects as well.