Representatives of the People’s Alliance for Democracy hand out leaflets on Silom Road yesterday urging people to skip work and join its march today from Sanam Luang to Government House.

"The Election Commission should consult the Constitution Court if the resignation could lead to the problem of the House, which has to select a new prime minister, being unable to sit," caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said. They did not need to wait until the election, he added.

Premsak's decision to become a monk has reduced the number of Thai Rak Thai's party-list candidates from 100 to 99. Thai Rak Thai had been expecting to win all 100 party-list seats with the opposition Democrat, Chat Thai and Mahachon parties boycotting the poll and the politically insignificant parties not expecting to be able to scrape together enough votes for even one seat.

The law requires there to be a full complement of 400 constituent MPs and 100 party-list MPs for the new House to be able to sit and select a premier.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Pongthep Thepkanchana said the party would wait until it knew the election results.

"If Thai Rak Thai wins all the party-list seats, it should be the Election Commission who decides if we get 100 or 99 seats in the absence of Premsak," he said.

Premsak's resignation came as the political conflict reached a stalemate with the threat of more violence looming after a bomb rocked the home of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda last week.

The three opposition parties have boycotted the general election on the grounds that a fair poll cannot be assured.

Without their participation, the election looked set to produce a one-party House of 500 MPs for Thai Rak Thai as the other small parties are expected to fail in their campaigns.