Now that the Constitutional Court has decided against the renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat as the next prime minister, parliament can resume the selection process for a new premier.
Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has scheduled a new vote on Tuesday and ordered a House legal team to study the court's decision.
The petition against parliament's rejection of Mr Pita's renomination was forwarded to the court by the country's ombudsman. The court cited a technicality in throwing out the case, saying the three petitioners who lodged complaints with the Ombudsman were not "directly affected by parliament's decision".
The complainants were Pornchai Theppanya and Boonsong Chalaythorn, both of whom voted for the MFP in the May 14 general election and MFP MP Panyarut Nuntapusitanon. The three insisted that parliament's rejection of Mr Pita's renomination was unconstitutional. They also sought a court order for parliament to postpone the vote pending its ruling.
Mr Pita had no interest in lodging a complaint with the court. The 42-year-old politician, who has been suspended from his duties as an MP, said he wanted the matter to be settled by parliament, saying the legislative branch was obliged to correct its mistake and that it was a matter of principle.
The MFP was planning to submit a motion asking parliament to review its rejection of Mr Pita's renomination.
Parliament may be heading towards a turbulent time. Pheu Thai, despite gathering more than 330 votes for its premiership candidate Srettha Thavisin, still needs support from the Senate.
The former opposition bloc leader may be projected to receive more votes from the Upper House when compared with the MFP, but Pheu Thai cannot be overly optimistic about securing enough support -- 375 votes, as required by the charter -- given the fact that Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, leader of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), still holds a leash over senators.
It's an open secret that some senators will not vote for anyone except for Gen Prawit or Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul. Gen Prawit, despite the poor performance of the PPRP on May 14, like the rest of the members of the former government coalition, has never ruled out joining the premiership race.
Needless to say, support from the Senate under his control is more than enough to fulfil Gen Prawit's questionable ambition. Political games will become fierce. Past and current incidents show that the invisible hand on the conservative side wants to maintain its political grip.
Attempts to taint Mr Srettha's image over contentious land purchase deals for his Sansiri real estate empire at a time when he is proposing to become premier are no coincidence. More importantly, this is a difficult time for Pheu Thai as a party because it is flirting with military-leaning parties. It is now at risk of losing its fan base.
The PM vote could have been done two months ago had the conservative camp played fair and respected the voters' decision in electing both the MFP and Pheu Thai. It is unfortunate that these people have disregarded the rules and made use of the contentious junta-sponsored constitution to reap benefits at all costs.