
The caretaker prime minister, the power crisis, the political vacuum, and the way out for Thailand
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noppadol Karnnika, founder of Super Poll, pointed out that the status of "Carrying Prime Minister" is not just a technical issue, but a weak point that reflects the unpreparedness of the Thai political system
Asst. Prof. Dr. Noppadol Karnnika, founder of Super Poll, wrote an article, Research Results: Limited Powers of the Acting Prime Minister and Possible Solutions, stating that the status of “Acting Prime Minister” is not just a position designed in terms of technicality of the constitution, but reflects the vulnerability of the Thai political structure. When a power vacuum occurs, it reveals the unpreparedness of the system to cope with situations of political uncertainty.
When the country does not have a prime minister with full power, but has many responsibilities that need to be quickly decided on, including economic policies, security, foreign affairs, and public trust, which cannot be relied on as a “caretaker status” to support national responsibilities reliably, the public reactions can be divided into 3 main groups.
1. The anxious group sees the government as lacking direction.
2. The distrustful group fears that power will be used to maintain the old power.
3. The group calling for progress does not want the country to be stuck in a political mechanism that does not respond to the people.
Despite the broad scope of the constitution, in practice, the caretaker prime minister is often limited in his role due to fear of being interpreted as crossing the line, putting the country at high risk of a serious political quagmire.
Possible short-term solutions:
1. Accelerate clarity from the Constitutional Court to resolve the lingering issues and restore confidence to society.
2. Establish a temporary government or a neutral leader who receives consensus to support the country through this political transition with stability.
3. Dissolve parliament, hold new elections, and allow the people to openly determine the future of the country
The main political party's perspective in this equation,
Bhumjaithai Party , may push the middle path, using political flexibility to maintain its role as a balancing variable in a new government where Bhumjaithai Party has a high chance of being the core of the government formation, expanding its vote base in the Northeast, North, South and Central regions.
The People's Party is gaining momentum from the people's desire to hold a new election as soon as possible in order to increase the number of seats and become a leading party.
Pheu Thai Party faces a challenge of faith, must maintain status through crisis, and buy time to create outstanding results without losing the original voter base in the Northeast and North.
The Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party emphasizes the role of protecting the stability of the state and tries to promote the image of a leader who fights against the power vacuum.
It is time to reform the “State Reserve System”.
“Constitutional stability and national security” are comparable to a security system that must have a stable backup point when the main system fails.
One of the political risks in Thailand that still does not have a suitable “backup system” is the status of “Carrying Prime Minister” . When there is a lack of legal clarity, it results in different interpretations. It may create a power vacuum and may become a political “challenge” for Thai society that is circulating.
A truly functioning democracy should not be ambiguous and should not be disrupted when the leader stops working. It should be flexible enough to handle uncertainty and limit its powers so that it does not cross the line into a caretaker power-holding position without consensus.
Is it time… for us to have a “Constitution that is not only based on the rule of law but also based on the trust of the people” so that the new rules reflect the will of the people of the whole country, along with truly maintaining national security?