No Cabinet reshuffle, Prawit affirms; leaves PM’s chair vacant at meeting

Prawit was speaking to reporters while leaving Government House after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

Deputy PM Prawit took over as caretaker prime minister after the Constitutional Court suspended Prayut as prime minister pending a ruling on whether he had completed eight years in office.

Prayut did not attend the weekly Cabinet meeting, though he continues to function as defence minister, a portfolio he held even as PM. Government House officials had left a seat for the defence minister but it remained vacant during the meeting.

While chairing the Cabinet meeting, Prawit remained seated on his usual deputy prime minister’s seat, leaving Prayut’s normal PM's seat vacant.

Asked whether he would reshuffle the Cabinet soon, Prawit replied “No reshuffle, I affirm”.

Last week, a group of southern MPs of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party had said they would call for a Cabinet reshuffle to demand the Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Commerce ministries back from coalition partner Democrat Party. The call prompted the Democrats to threaten to pull out of the coalition.

Asked to comment on the call of the southern MPs of his party, Prawit said: “You must ask them. I didn’t say it.”

“Why should I reshuffle Cabinet when we can still work,” Prawit said when asked again whether he would change the Cabinet line-up in the near future.

Prawit appeared in a good mood and was smiling as he stopped to answer reporters’ questions on his way to his official vehicle. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn and Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate accompanied Prawit to his vehicle.