Coalition parties in the Pheu Thai-led government are expected on Monday to discuss their likely response to the Constitutional Court's ruling on Wednesday as to whether Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin can keep his job.
His future is in doubt over his decision to appoint ex-convict Pichit Chuenban as a cabinet minister. However, political observers believe the premier will survive the case. Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Saturday said the party and coalition representatives will hold a monthly meeting at Government House on Monday.
"It is just a normal discussion. We discuss the government's work, problems and obstacles so we can find solutions. It is also about reviewing parliament's agenda and cabinet's work,'' said Mr Phumtham, also a government whip.
Asked about the court case against Mr Srettha, Mr Phumtham said: "We have not made any preparations. The court should be allowed to work independently. We must respect the judicial process." Asked whether the government has any backup plan ready if Mr Srettha is removed from office, Mr Phumtham said: "We don't think about it. It is up to the court to decide".
"The coalition parties are not worried about the matter. We only focus on our work. After the court's ruling, we will decide again what we should do," he said. Some observers have speculated about who will step into Mr Srettha's job should the court give him the boot. However, Mr Phumtham seemed indifferent to such speculation, or that it would trigger changes elsewhere in the government line-up.
He denied a cabinet reshuffle would be among topics up for discussion at Monday's meeting, saying Mr Srettha will not attend. "It is just a regular meeting of leaders and coalition parties," Mr Phumtham said. Mr Srettha previously said he was ready to consider a cabinet reshuffle if he survives the case before the court. He made the remark after Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, the leader of the coalition United Thai Nation (UTN) Party, proposed a shake-up to allow its secretary-general Akanat Promphan to fill a ministerial post that remains vacant under the party's quota.
Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Political and Public Policy Analysis Institute, said he believed the court will rule in favour of Mr Srettha and the prime minister will be able to keep his job.
A petition seeking to dismiss the prime minister was submitted in May by a group of 40 former senators who said Pichit should not have been considered for the position, having been convicted of contempt of court for attempting to bribe Supreme Court officials in 2008 while representing former PM Thaksin Shinawatra in a controversial land case.
Pichit resigned from the PM's Office Minister post just before the court accepted the petition, which was seen by observers as a bid to spare Mr Srettha from a legal wrangle. The court agreed to hear the case against Mr Srettha, but rejected the case against Pichit because he had already stepped down.
A source in cabinet earlier said Pichit's imprisonment in the 2008 contempt of court case did not render him ineligible to be appointed as a cabinet minister, because he was appointed a minister 10 years after finishing his jail term, as required by the election law. However, the question of whether Pichit meets the moral and ethical standards as required by the constitution is a different matter, the source said.
Former senator Wanchai Sornsiri previously also noted that Pichit was only convicted of contempt of court, not attempted bribery, which would have barred him from assuming the post.