Niwattumrong: Cabinet still in charge

Niwattumrong: Cabinet still in charge

Acting caretaker Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan insisted on Thursday he would not resign and said his caretaker cabinet would remain in office until a new elected government is formed.

He was responding to calls for the resignation of his caretaker government to pave the way for national reform before the next election.

Mr Niwattumrong, who has moved his office to the Ministry of Commerce, said his government could be accused ot legal violations if it resigned because Sections 181 and 182 of the constitution required that  a caretaker government to remain in office until a new government was ready to succeed it.

Mr Niwattumrong also insisted that a general election should be organised soon because under the present constitution there was no other way to form a new government with full authority.

He also denied that his absence from national crisis discussions with army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is enforcing martial law, indicated his cabinet was not cooperating with the head of the miltary's Peace and Order Maintaining Command (POMC).

Mr Niwattumrong said that he really did have other work to do than attend the meeting, and hoped to meet the army chief afterwards.

He had sent his representatives to the meeting, with some decision-making authority. However, his government reserved its power to make decisions on some important issues generated from the discussions that Gen Prayuth organised.

Mr Niwattumrong said his government was supporting Gen Prayuth's attempts to solve the political impasse as long as they were lawful and democratic. He also commented that the martial law exercise was beneficial as it guaranteed public order.

In response to the rumour that Gen Prayuth was among three possible candidates to be an interim prime minister, Mr Niwattumrong said the present constitution clearly required an elected prime minister.

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