Prime Minister’s Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool, one of the four ministers who are executives of pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party, says he is ready to resign as minister.
“I’m ready to quit now as I almost finish all my work,” he said on Thursday.
However, he declined to set the date, saying he would resign from the cabinet together with the three other ministers who have joined the party “so we can shift to doing political work full-time”.
Besides him, the other cabinet members who joined Palang Pracharath are Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana, Science and Technology Minister Suvit Maesincee and Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong.
Pressure has mounted for them to resign since the party’s launch in late September last year. Mr Uttama is the party’s leader, Mr Suvit is his deputy, Mr Sontirat is party secretary-general and Mr Kobsak is party spokesman and executive.
They have tried to ease the concern by pledging not to use public resources or office hours for political work and promising to resign when their ministerial work is done and "when the right time comes".
Unlike previous governments, the incumbent government will not be downgraded to a caretaker one even after the election is announced, according to the 2017 constitution.
A caretaker government may not reshuffle or fire government officials, use contingency budgets, approve binding projects or use government resources in activities that may influence voters.
Palang Pracharath was set up by key men known to be close to Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, whom Mr Uttama described as their “spiritual leader”.
It is widely known as the main party set up to support Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha as prime minister after the election although Gen Prayut has said he has not made up his mind which party he would join.