Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has submitted a petition to dissolve parliament after the largest opposition party backed a rival candidate to lead the country following the recent Thai court decision to remove Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office.

The “house dissolution decree”, submitted on Wednesday by the ruling Pheu Thai party, is now awaiting royal approval, according to party secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong.

The move to dissolve parliament came swiftly after the People’s Party, a major opposition party in Thailand’s parliament, said it would back a Pheu Thai rival, the Bhumjaithai Party, to form the next government.

Pheu Thai had raced to shore up support for its fragile coalition government with a slender majority following the removal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn.

People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told reporters on Wednesday that his party’s 143 lawmakers had “agreed to support” Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul, a conservative business tycoon, to serve as the next prime minister, likely giving him majority support in parliament.

Natthaphong said his party’s support for Anutin was conditional on parliament being dissolved and for new elections to be held within four months, “so that power can be returned to the people as soon as possible”.

He said his party would back Bhumjaithai to prevent the return of a Pheu Thai-led coalition government that he said was not fit to rule again.

A parliamentary vote on a new prime minister could take place as soon as Friday, he added.

Anutin told reporters that he has the support of 146 lawmakers in his bid to become prime minister, and that he was committed to the conditions laid out by the People’s Party for its support.

Heir to a construction engineering fortune, Anutin previously served as deputy prime minister, interior minister and health minister, in 2022 delivering on a promise to legalise recreational cannabis.

Paetongtarn was removed as prime minister on Friday by Thailand’s Constitutional Court after it found she had breached ethical standards stemming from a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who shortly afterwards leaked an audio recording of their call.