Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Wednesday dismissed the possibility of a political vacuum or deadlock arising after the May 14 election.
However, he expressed concern the formation of a new government may take longer than usual. His remarks come as polls show some of the front-running parties drawing closer in the popularity stakes.
While he believes that any party that wins a majority of House seats could form a new government, he said there are some uncertainties which could result in the victorious party getting fewer seats and having to instead work to form a coalition government.
Responding to comments on the rising political temperature in the run-up to election day, he said the intense competition isn't unusual as every party is vying for as much attention as possible.
On rumours that parties are already talking of forming alliances ahead of the election results, Mr Wissanu said that from his experience, these kinds of talks don't normally begin until the night the unofficial election results are known.
"Such an early political deal doesn't guarantee the end result, however," he said.
In the 2019 general election, for instance, those political alliances formed immediately after the unofficial election results changed drastically once the official election results were known two months later, he said.
In the case of what would happen if two parties earn an almost equal number of House seats and both fail to reach an agreement on forming a government and the selection of a new prime minister, he said Section 270 of the constitution shows clearly what to do in such a situation.
No exact deadline is imposed on the selection of the new prime minister, he said. "Eventually, a way out of that kind of impasse will be found. So, there will never be a political vacuum, as some fear. But it [the prime minister selection] might take a little longer," he said.
By law, the Election Commission is required to announce the official results of the election within 60 days of polling day.
Nonetheless, the poll regulator usually shares the results of the election after 45 days, he said.
It cannot be predicted exactly when the selection of the new PM and, subsequently, the formation of the new government would be complete, as the constitution, in the case of a stalemate, allows the selection of the new PM to be held repeatedly until successful.
As for the worst case scenario, in the event of a political deadlock, the caretaker government can continue its role while waiting for a new government to be formed, he said.
"Section 169 of the constitution still allows the caretaker government to use the central budget, otherwise, the cabinet would have not been able to request the use of 10.5 billion baht [to fund the electricity bill subsidy programme]," he said.
Mr Wissanu also said it was too soon to analyse whether what happened after the 2019 election -- when the Palang Pracharath Party formed a new government even though it obtained fewer House seats than Pheu Thai -- will happen again.
"We don't anticipate that will ever happen again. We expect to see a new government that holds a majority of House seats in hand right from the beginning. And that's what every party expects," he said.
