BANGKOK, Thailand – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has submitted a request for a Royal Decree to dissolve the House of Representatives, paving the way for a new general election. The move comes after a political deadlock over constitutional amendments, particularly concerning the authority of the Senate.
The dissolution took place Thursday evening (11 December). According to reports, the decision followed a vote in the National Assembly, where a majority of lawmakers agreed that amendments to Section 256/28 of the Constitution must be approved by at least one-third of all senators.
Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party and Leader of the Opposition—whose party supported Anutin’s nomination as Prime Minister—called on him to dissolve parliament after members of the Bhumjaithai Party voted with the majority.
Internal negotiations failed
According to party sources, Bhumjaithai MP Paradorn Prissanananthakul explained to representatives of the People’s Party that if MPs voted to remove the Senate’s power, as the People’s Party demanded, senators would reject the entire constitutional amendment in its third reading. This would effectively collapse the entire constitutional reform process.
Paradorn said Bhumjaithai therefore urged keeping the Senate’s authority intact temporarily, to allow the amendment process to continue. However, the People’s Party rejected this compromise and insisted that if the vote failed under Section 256/28, they would immediately submit a motion of no confidence against the entire Cabinet.
With Bhumjaithai forming a minority government backed by the People’s Party, the withdrawal of that support would have brought the administration to an immediate end. Faced with the loss of majority backing, Anutin decided to dissolve the House.
“We tried negotiating with the senators as much as possible, but we cannot force them to vote away their own powers,” a Bhumjaithai executive said.
“We also tried negotiating with the People’s Party. But if we remove the Senate’s power now, senators will not approve the charter amendment in the third reading, meaning the entire reform process would collapse. Since we cannot fulfill the People’s Party’s demands, the House must be dissolved as agreed during the formation of the government. Today, Mr. Anutin has fulfilled that agreement.”
Anutin: “I return power to the people”
Shortly after the dissolution, Anutin posted a message on his official Facebook page, Anutin Charnvirakul, stating:
“I humbly return power to the people.”
The Royal Decree dissolving the House of Representatives will trigger a countdown toward a new general election, with the Election Commission expected to announce the polling date in the coming days.
