The Democrat Party has called on former caretaker premier Yingluck Shinawatra to ask her entire cabinet to step down to show they also accept responsibility following the Constitutional Court ruling against her yesterday.
The judges stripped Ms Yingluck of her position as caretaker prime minister and made nine members of her cabinet, who approved the unlawful transfer of Thawil Pliensri as National Security Council secretary-general during their meeting on Sept 6, 2011, resign.
However, other incumbent caretaker ministers must also seriously consider their status under Ms Yingluck’s leadership, Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said yesterday.
Everyone under Ms Yingluck’s fifth cabinet must resign to accept responsibility following the charter court's ruling, he said.
Democrat legal team chief Wirat Kanlayasiri, however, said the current caretaker ministers who were not involved with the 2011 Thawil transfer can hold on to their ministerial positions based on the court's ruling.
Meanwhile, caretaker Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan, who was appointed by the cabinet to act as caretaker prime minister after Ms Yingluck was dismissed, could face suspension by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) because he was directly involved in the government's controversial rice-pledging scheme.
The NACC has announced that it could decide as early as today on the dereliction of duty charge against Ms Yingluck concerning alleged corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.
Mr Wirat said the NACC might include Mr Niwatthamrong in the ruling since he is directly responsible for the scheme.
If this happens, caretaker deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana is likely to replace him as acting caretaker prime minister based on his seniority in the cabinet.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the court ruling could cool down the ongoing political tensions in the country to a certain extent, but it does not really answer the question that people want an answer to of what is going to happen next.