BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing a former lawyer serving a prison sentence to his cabinet, raising the risk of further political unrest and a reshuffle of the ruling alliance.
Property magnate Srettha is the fourth Thai prime minister in 16 years to be removed from office by the same court, which ruled that he had violated the constitution by appointing a minister who did not meet ethical standards.
Srettha’s ouster after less than a year in power means parliament must convene to elect a new prime minister, raising the prospect of further uncertainty in a country plagued for two decades by coup attempts and court rulings that have toppled numerous governments and political parties.
Last week, the same court dissolved the popular opposition Move Forward Party, arguing that its campaign to reform a law against insulting the crown posed a threat to the constitutional monarchy. On Friday, the party reformed under a new name.
Srettha’s Pheu Thai party and its predecessors have borne the brunt of Thailand’s turmoil: two of their governments were overthrown in coups, amid a long-running power struggle between the party’s founders, the billionaire Shinawatra family, and their rivals in the conservative establishment and the royalist military.
The decision could shake a fragile truce between political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra and his enemies within the conservative elite and old military guard, allowing the tycoon to return in 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile and allowing his ally Srettha to be appointed prime minister the same day.
Srettha had claimed that his appointment of former Shinawatra lawyer Pichit Chuenban, who was briefly detained in 2008 for contempt of court over an alleged attempt to bribe court employees, was flawless. The bribery allegation was never proven and Pichit resigned in May.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is expected to take over as caretaker prime minister.
RETURN OF THE SHINAWATRAS?
According to some political experts, after a period of horse-trading and uncertainty about who will be in charge, the Pheu Thai Party is likely to still have the influence needed to lead the next government.
“The coalition remains united,” said Olarn Thinbangtieo, deputy dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Law at Burapha University.
“This could affect trust, but only in the short term.”
The next prime minister would have to be nominated by his parties as a candidate for prime minister before the 2023 election. Pheu Thai’s options include Thaksin’s 37-year-old daughter and party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
If successful, she would be Thailand’s third Shinawatra prime minister after Thaksin and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Other possible candidates include Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga and Prawit Wongsuwan, an influential former army chief who was involved in the last two coup attempts.
The ruling comes at a difficult time for an economy that Srettha has struggled to get back on track: it is marked by weak exports and consumer spending, astronomically high household debt and a lack of credit for more than a million small businesses.
The government forecasts growth of just 2.7 percent for 2024, lagging behind comparable markets in the region. Thailand, on the other hand, has been the worst-performing market in Asia this year, with its main stock index down around 17 percent year-to-date.
