Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for an ethics violation, ending her premiership after just a year and delivering another crushing blow to the Shinawatra political dynasty.
Paetongtarn, 39, Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister, becomes the sixth leader from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary in a two-decade struggle between elected governments and entrenched conservative and royalist elites.
In its 6–3 ruling, the court said Paetongtarn had placed her private interests above those of the nation. “Due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, the respondent was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side,”the court stated. It ruled that her actions had “damaged the reputation of the country, causing a loss of public confidence.”
The case centred on a leaked telephone call in June during which Paetongtarn appeared to defer to Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen at a time when tensions between the two countries threatened to escalate into conflict. Weeks later, fighting broke out along the border and lasted five days.
The verdict now paves the way for parliament to elect a new prime minister, though analysts warn the process could be protracted. Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party, which leads a fragile coalition with a razor-thin majority, is expected to lose bargaining power as rival factions seek to capitalise on the ruling.
Paetongtarn, daughter of influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, apologised over the phone call and insisted her actions were intended to avert war. Nevertheless, she has become the fifth prime minister in 17 years to be removed by the Constitutional Court, underscoring the judiciary’s central role in Thailand’s enduring political conflict.
Political scientist Stithorn Thananithichot of Chulalongkorn University warned that forming a new government would not be easy. “Appointing a new prime minister will be difficult and may take considerable time,”he said. “It’s not easy for all parties to align their interests. Pheu Thai will be at a disadvantage.”
For now, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until parliament decides on a successor. There is no time limit on when the new premier must be chosen.
Among the five people eligible for the role, only one belongs to Pheu Thai — 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former attorney general with limited cabinet experience. Other names being floated include former premier Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 military coup against Pheu Thai but has since retired from politics, and Anutin Charnvirakul, a deputy premier who recently pulled his party out of Paetongtarn’s coalition in protest over the leaked call.
The ruling has plunged Thailand into another period of political uncertainty, with an economy projected to grow just 2.3 percent this year and public frustration mounting over stalled reforms. Any future Pheu Thai-led administration would likely hold only a slender parliamentary majority and face constant challenges from an opposition with strong grassroots support that is pushing for an early election.
Boluwatife Enome
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