Polls add to growing list of govt problems

The political temperature is rising with several events likely this year which could determine whether the government survives, former Democrat Party leader Banyat Banyadtan said.

Polls scheduled in the first half of the year will fuel political uncertainties, which will turn up the heat on the government, the veteran politician said, referring to the by-elections in Chumphon, Songkhla and Bangkok’s Laksi district, as well as the election in Pattaya City and Bangkok’s gubernatorial race.

That said, Mr Banyat said, the election to watch this year is the general election, which may come sooner than some think, despite Gen Prayut’s recent announcement that he intends to stay on as premier until the 2022 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in November.

The elections, Mr Banyat said, will not only gauge the government’s popularity but also put Gen Prayut’s leadership skills to the test.

“The intensifying political situation might make it hard for the government make it to the end of the year,” he said.

The reconvening of the House’s ordinary sessions in March will also pile pressure on the government, with the opposition set to call yet another no-confidence debate.

While the debate might not deal a death blow to the government, it will add to the pressure on a government that has come under fire for its handling of the Omicron variant outbreak, and failing to address the nation’s economic problems.

The pressure on the government will increase both in parliament and on the streets, spurred by anti-government protests, according to Mr Banyat.

Furthermore, in August, opposition parties are planning to challenge Gen Prayut’s tenure in the Constitutional Court.

To some, including a House panel on legal affairs, Gen Prayut’s term began on June 9, 2019, when his premiership received royal endorsement under the 2017 constitution.

This means that under current rules, he would be entitled to serve until up to 2027.

The opposition, however, has always insisted that Gen Prayut’s tenure ends in August this year.

It argues his premiership began on the day he was installed as the head of the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) after the 2014 coup.

The constitution limits a premier’s term to eight years.