Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for an ethics violation, ending her tenure.
After just a year and dealing another heavy blow to the powerful Shinawatra dynasty. The decision risks plunging the country into fresh political turmoil. Paetongtarn, Thailand’s youngest premier at 39, becomes the sixth leader from the Shinawatra family or its allies to be ousted by the military or judiciary in a two-decade struggle between elected governments and the conservative-royalist establishment.
The court ruled she breached ethics in a leaked June phone call, in which she appeared to defer to Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen as the two nations edged toward armed conflict. Fighting broke out weeks later and lasted five days. Paetongtarn has since apologized, saying her intent was to avert war.
The ruling leaves her Pheu Thai party scrambling to keep its fragile coalition together as parliament prepares to select a new prime minister. Deputy premier Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will act in a caretaker role until then. Among possible successors are 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri from Pheu Thai, former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, and ex-deputy premier Anutin Charnvirakul, who recently withdrew his party’s support over the controversy.
Paetongtarn, daughter of billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, rose quickly to power after the abrupt dismissal of her predecessor Srettha Thavisin by the same court a year ago. Her removal makes her the fifth premier in 17 years to be unseated by the Constitutional Court, underscoring its central role in Thailand’s ongoing political power struggle.
Analysts warn the search for a new leader could be protracted, as coalition negotiations intensify. With Thailand’s economy projected to grow just 2.3% this year and public frustration mounting over stalled reforms, the verdict deepens uncertainty for a country long caught in cycles of judicial and military intervention.
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