Thai media have been rife with speculation that Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is only a few steps away from taking over the country’s top executive post from Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
“Substitute prime minister” is the term they have been using in recent weeks when referring to the leader of Bhumjaithai, the second largest partner in the Srettha coalition government.
The speculation has become more intense as the Constitutional Court is set to rule on Srettha’s political fate on August 14. Srettha is accused of a serious breach of political ethics by appointing a lawyer with conviction record to join his Cabinet in late April this year.
If found guilty, Srettha will be disqualified as prime minister along with his government. The House of Representatives will need to vote for a new prime minister.
That’s why all eyes have been on Anutin as Srettha’s potential successor. Many analysts have concurred that Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, supposedly the first in line to succeed Srettha if something is to happen to him, is not yet ready for the job.
On Saturday, Srettha and Anutin were confronted with the question of “substitute prime minister” together for the first time. The were pestered with the question separately over the past few weeks.
With Anutin by his side, Srettha laughed off the suggestion that Anutin is seen as his substitute in the event that the court rules against him.
“We talk to each other all the time. We have no problems. Everything goes according to the established mechanism,” Srettha said with a laugh.
Photo: Srettha Thavisin
“I have known Khun Anutin for a long time. There is no ill feeling involved. Khun Anutin himself also feels at ease. Politics is politics,” he added.
Srettha, however, admitted that despite his comments the issue of “substitute prime minister” will not go away. “I am sure the media will keep asking me about it,” he said as Anutin listened attentively with a smile.
Asked for his reaction, Anutin said despite all the speculation, he believed Srettha is getting stronger politically.
“I am sitting tight,” Anutin responded with a laugh when asked whether he felt uneasy to hear Srettha comment directly in front of him on the speculation.
Anutin, whose Bhumjaithai Party has 70 MPs in the House, is seen as a political king-maker whose support is crucial to the survival of the Srettha government.
Srettha also dismissed the possibility of another political party in the opposition bloc being invited to join his coalition.
“There has been no such talk. The government is stable enough with the 314 MPs,” he said, referring to the number of House seats his coalition has.
There have been reports of conflicts between Srettha’s Pheu Thai Party and Palang Pracharath, a coalition partner led by Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, a former general associated with the military junta that seized power in 2014.
Thai media have been speculating on the possibility of Srettha bringing in another political party to join his coalition to replace Palang Pracharath.
