The ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) is to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the upcoming no-confidence motion in the government after the opposition bloc refused to reword those parts which mentioned the monarchy.
PPRP list MP Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn said on Monday the party expected to lodge a petition with the court today and if it rules against the motion as it is now worded, the opposition will be compelled to make changes.
He also said if the court accepted the petition for consideration the debate would likely be postponed until the court's ruling was known.
Mr Chaiwut said he was confident the public would understand the party's move because censure debates were the business of politics and the institution of the monarchy should be left out of it.
Deputy Prime Minister and PPRP leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon denied media reports of a rift inside the ruling party ahead of the no-confidence debate.
He insisted PPRP MPs were united and he was confident they would toe the party line when the time came for the crucial vote.
Gen Prawit was responding to reports that a group of PPRP MPs did not support Education Minister Nathapol Teepsuwan and were intending to pressure Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to reshuffle the cabinet once the debate was over.
Ten cabinet ministers, including Gen Prayut and Gen Prawit, are the prime targets of the no-confidence motion, which is backed by 208 opposition MPs.
The debate is scheduled to take place next week.
Gen Prawit also expressed confidence that the government's coalition partners would not break ranks in the no-confidence motion.
Chief government whip Wirach Ratanasate was yesterday also upbeat over its prospects in the no-confidence debate and insisted all cabinet ministers targeted by opposition MPs would get the backing of the government's coalition partners.
Chief opposition whip and Pheu Thai MP Sutin Klungsang said the debate would be concluded in four days as planned if there were no unnecessary protests or attempts to block the opposition from doing its job.
The opposition has been given four days to conclude the debate but House Speaker Chuan Leekpai said it could be extended if necessary.