Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after finding her guilty of an ethics violation. The ruling deals a severe blow to the influential Shinawatra political dynasty and immediately ignited a wave of political negotiations to determine the country’s next leader. The decision creates a significant power vacuum at the top of the Thai government.
This event marks the sixth time a prime minister from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family has been ousted by the military or judiciary. It is the latest chapter in a two-decade-long, tumultuous power struggle between the nation’s rival elite factions. Paetongtarn, who had been Thailand’s youngest prime minister, saw her tenure cut short by the court’s verdict.
The court’s ruling centered on a leaked June telephone call with Cambodia’s powerful former leader, Hun Sen. At the time, both nations were on the brink of an armed conflict, and the court found that Paetongtarn violated ethics by appearing to kowtow to the former leader, who was until recently a close Shinawatra family ally. Armed fighting between the two countries erupted just weeks after the call and lasted for five days.
The dismissal paves the way for parliament to elect a new prime minister, a process that is expected to be protracted. Hours after the decision, the Bhumjaithai Party, which had quit Paetongtarn’s coalition over the scandal, emerged as a frontrunner to form a new government. Its leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, began shuttling across Bangkok to rally support from other parties, offering pledges that included dissolving parliament within four months.
