Thailand is at another crossroads after the Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over her phone call to Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. The Pheu Thai Party and the Bhumjaithai Party are both trying to form a new government. Neither has enough votes backing their candidates. The main opposition People’s Party, with 143 seats in parliament, could change the game.

On Friday evening (29 August), around 2 hours after the verdict was read, the People’s Party issued a statement outlining the conditions a Prime Minister candidate must accept to get its support. The party said that, since it holds the largest number of seats in parliament, it has the duty of breaking the political deadlock facing the country. It also wants to prevent former military coup leaders and candidates not currently listed from being appointed.

The conditions stipulate that a candidate must promise to dissolve parliament within 4 months and call a general election. The new Cabinet must also call a referendum as soon as possible to start the process of amending the Constitution by an elected Constitutional Drafting Assembly before the election. The People's Party, meanwhile, will not join the government and no party member will take a seat in the Cabinet

Soon after the People’s Party issued its statement, the Bhumjaithai Party announced that three of its leaders, including party leader and Prime Minister candidate Anutin Charnvirakul, had met with People’s Party representatives. In a press conference at the party’s headquarters, Anutin said that Bhumjaithai accepts the People’s Party’s conditions.

Bhumjaithai also issued a statement saying that its main missions after it forms a government would be to tackle the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute and call a constitutional amendment referendum.  It promised to dissolve parliament within 4 months.

Bhumjaithai holds 69 seats in parliament. The party was previously in the government coalition but relations between Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have been deteriorating for months.  It left the coalition in June, claiming the leaked phone call as the reason.

As for Pheu Thai, Secretary-General Sorawong Thienthong told reporters after Saturday’s (30 August) Cabinet meeting that his party is trying to form a government and willing to accept conditions set by the People’s Party, provided these are beneficial for the country.

According to Sorawong, there have been some informal discussions between members of both parties, but Pheu Thai wanted to see if the conditions are possible. Noting that politics forced the two parties to part ways, he said that Pheu Thai is planning to invite People’s Party for a formal discussion.

Sorawong admitted that some Pheu Thai MPs are backing Anutin, but said he does not know how many.

With the dismissals of Srettha Thivisin and Paetongtarn, Pheu Thai now has one candidate remaining on the list: Chaikasem Nitisiri, a 77-year-old lawyer and former attorney general who served as Minister of Justice in the Cabinet of Yingluck Shinawatra.

People’s Party leader Natthapong Ruengpanyawut said on Saturday (30 August) that he has not been formally contacted by Pheu Thai and that the People’s Party has not decided who to vote for. The decision will be made on Monday (1 September) in a meeting of MPs and executive board members. He said, however, that the party will not be voting for Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, 2014 coup leader and former Prime Minister, who is one of the United Thai Nation Party’s candidates for Prime Minister.

He stressed that his party wants to help the country break the political deadlock but that any party that wants the People’s Party support must agree to its conditions.

Party spokesperson Parit Wacharasindhu also said in a press release that Bhumjaithai representatives asked to meet the People’s Party executives on Friday evening (29 August) but Pheu Thai had yet to reach out.

Parit said that any party willing to accept the People’s Party’s conditions must make a public announcement of their acceptance. The People’s Party is happy to participate in formal discussions where parties can declare their intentions and where the People’s Party can explain the conditions. Decisions will only be made after willing parties have declared their intention to the public and formally discussed the conditions with the People’s Party.

This morning (31 August), Pheu Thai announced on its Facebook page that it accepted the conditions, promising to dissolve parliament within 4 months. It also said that its new government will organize a referendum to ask whether a new Constitution should be drafted based on the 1997 Constitution, and will also conduct another referendum at the same time on whether to revoke 2 Memorandum of Understandings regarding the Thailand-Cambodia border.

Pheu Thai also said that it had reached out to the People's Party to schedule a meeting, which will take place at 14.00 today. Pheu Thai will be represented by Sorawong as its Secretary General and deputy party leader Jiraporn Sindhuprai.