Two weeks after being named Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra has yet to appoint a Cabinet as potential ministers are having their records checked to make sure nothing prohibits them from taking their posts.

Paetongtarn herself is facing a number of complaints, with more likely to follow in the future. Meanwhile, the government coalition remains in flux after Pheu Thai decided to remove the Palang Pracharath Party from the coalition and invited the Democrat Party to join and the Seri Ruam Thai Party announced its withdrawal from the government coalition. The uncertain situation has raised concerns about a lack of political stability.

A cabinet of ‘good people’

In light of the Constitutional Court’s ruling to dismiss former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his Cabinet a minister with a prior criminal conviction, the Office of the Council of State has been roped in to vet each minister to make sure that they have not previously been convicted of a crime or have anything on their records that would prohibit them from serving in Paetongtarn’s Cabinet or spell trouble for the Prime Minister.

Caretaker Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that the final list of cabinet ministers is likely to be released by 15 September.  He said that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will be sending information to the Secretariat of the Cabinet on whether any potential minister is facing a criminal charge and what the charges are, but it will be up to the Secretariat and the Council of State to verify the information. Phumtham did not say, however, who is on the NACC’s list, claiming that he has not seen the document in detail.

BBC Thai speculated that among the list of potential ministers under scrutiny is Ekkanat Prompan, the United Thai Nation Party's Secretary-General, who was sentenced to 1 year in prison on charges relating to protests organised by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). Although the Appeal Court later acquitted him, it remains unclear whether his prior conviction would disqualify him from serving on the Cabinet.

Incoming lawfare?

Two weeks into her tenure as Prime Minister, Paetongtarn is already facing several complaints. Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a member of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) asking for an investigation into whether Paetongtarn has resigned from the over 20 companies owned by the Shinawatra family in which she was a board member before becoming Prime Minister.

Paetongtarn said that she has resigned from her positions in these companies. Ruangkrai, however, still questioned whether she submitted her resignation before being elected and demanded that she publicly release evidence that she did so.

Ruangkrai previously filed another complaint with the NACC against Paetongtarn, as deputy chairperson of the National Soft Power Strategy Committee, on whether she was a government official and whether she has unlawfully used any part of the national budget. He also said that he will be seeking an ethics probe against her for holding shares in the Alpine Golf Club, which is built on a piece of land donated to a temple, and for the accusation that she cheated on her university entrance examination in 2004, when it was alleged that the examination papers were leaked ahead of the time.

Meanwhile, an anonymous complaint filed with the ECT is seeking the dissolution of the Pheu Thai Party for allowing Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister and Paetongtarn’s father, to dominate the party.

Democrats join the government

Meanwhile, splits and uncertainty among the government coalition continue. Last Tuesday (27 August), Pheu Thai MPs and its executive board decided to remove PPRP from the government coalition, citing dissatisfaction with the actions of PPRP leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, who failed to attend the parliamentary session where Paetongtarn was named Prime Minister on 16 August after failing to show up to vote for Srettha Thavisin as PM last year. It is also widely speculated that he was behind the petition by 40 former senators to dismiss former PM Srettha.

PPRP itself has appeared to split into two factions, after Gen Prawit and Caretaker Agriculture Minister and PPRP Secretary-General Thamanat Prompow got into a conflict over who should be nominated as cabinet ministers within PPRP’s quota, causing a delay in appointing the new Cabinet as both factions claimed they had submitted their own lists of possible ministers. Thamanat’s faction, reported to have at least 26 MPs from PPRP and 5 from smaller parties, expressed their intention to stay with the government coalition.

While Pheu Thai executives said that the party can no longer work with the PPRP, Pheu Thai did not deny that it would exclude Thamanat, noting that he has always cooperated well with the party. PPRP deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan said, however, that the party has no plan to expel Thamanat and his faction. He also said that Thamanat’s nomination as a minister in PPRP’s quota is an internal issue.

On 28 August, Pheu Thai decided to invite the Democrat Party to join the government coalition. The Democrat MPs and executive board voted the next day to accept the invitation. The new alliance sparked criticism that Pheu Thai has now joined hands with a party involved in the crackdowns against the Red Shirt protests in 2010, which took place during the government of former Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and resulted in the deaths of over 90 people. The alliance also led to conflict in the Democrat Party as several long-time MPs, including former party leader and PM Chuan Leekpai, objected to joining the government coalition. Meanwhile, two party members have announced their resignation.

The final change in the government coalition came last Thursday (29 August), after Pol Gen Sereepisuth Teemeyaves, leader of the Seri Ruam Thai party and its only MP, said that the party is withdrawing from the government coalition because he was not given any position in the government. He also threatened to release information about Thaksin that he claimed could lead to the prosecution of individuals involved in Thaksin’s stay at the Police General Hospital while serving his prison sentence.