BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday rejected the Pheu Thai Party’s offer to increase their cabinet quota by adding the Interior Ministry (MOT 1) seat, firmly declining the condition.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra tasked her secretary-general, Dr. Prommin Lertsuridej, to meet with Anutin at the Ministry of Interior at 4:00 p.m. to negotiate expanding the party’s cabinet positions—from one Minister of Public Health plus one Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, Anutin refused the proposal outright.
Following the refusal, Dr. Prommin immediately contacted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father, to report the development, marking the official kickoff for Pheu Thai’s cabinet reshuffle strategy.
The Pheu Thai Party is expected to gain two additional ministerial positions, while other coalition parties are maneuvering to secure seats by leveraging the so-called “snake quota” — positions allocated to defectors or smaller factions within the coalition. This dynamic has triggered active political moves, with expectations to finalize the “Paetongtarn Cabinet 2” reshuffle as early as Friday, June 20.
Meanwhile, Pheu Thai plans to realign ministerial positions without including any representatives from the Bhumjaithai Party.
Additionally, reports indicate some groups plan to meet former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Hong Kong this weekend, coinciding with her birthday. (TNA)
