Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul criticised former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's call for voters to support only the Pheu Thai Party in order to expedite government work.
Mr Anutin, who serves as the interior minister and deputy premier in the Pheu Thai-led government, said on Friday that Thaksin lived abroad for 17 years, and the ex-premier might be out of touch with the country's politics where a multi-party government is in place.
He said the political landscape has changed from a single-party government, in which prime ministers like Thaksin called the shots, to a complex multi-party one.
In the new environment, coalition parties are competing to deliver policies, he said. However, Mr Anutin did not rule out the possibility of a one-party government being formed in the future if a particular party does an outstanding job.
"Who would have thought about a single-party government before Thaksin became the prime minister? Thaksin showed it could be done. But the question is [in case it would happen again] how long would it last," he said.
The coalition party leader was reacting to Thaksin's campaign speech in Chiang Mai on Thursday, in which the former premier claimed that the government was slow to deliver its promises because it was a multi-party government.
According to Thaksin, who acts as a campaign assistant for Pheu Thai candidates contesting the elections for the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) presidents, voters must overwhelmingly support Pheu Thai and give it a decisive win should they want to see policies delivered efficiently.
Previously, in the PAO election campaigns in other provinces, Thaksin also urged voters to cast ballots for the party to ensure a unified approach.
Mr Anutin stressed that the current administration is working fully and cooperatively, and while it may appear slow, it is because the government is careful to comply with the law and listen to public criticism and scrutiny.
He insisted there would be no issues among the coalition parties and that all the government's policies, whether set by the core party or coalition partners, would be implemented. He said the coalition partners are to support each other in the public interest and warn each other when something appears wrong.
