Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrives at the Thai Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, September 11, 2023. , to stimulate domestic demand, new Prime Minister Sreeta will revive the sluggish economy as the government’s top priority.
Valeria Mongeli | Bloomberg | Getty Images
BANGKOK – Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s appointment of a jailed former lawyer to his cabinet, sparking more political turmoil and a reshuffle of the ruling coalition worries.
Property tycoon Srettha has become the fourth Thai prime minister in 16 years to be ousted by the same court after it ruled he violated the constitution by appointing a minister who did not meet ethical standards.
Sreeta’s ouster after less than a year in power means parliament must meet to elect a new prime minister, a prospect that could come as the country has been plagued by coups and court rulings for two decades, leading to the toppling of multiple governments and parties. There will be more uncertainty.
The court last week dismissed the popular opposition Kadima party, the anti-establishment party, ruling that its campaign to reform laws banning insults to the royal family risked undermining the constitutional monarchy. The party reorganized on Friday to form a new party.
Sretha’s Pheu Thai party and its predecessors have borne the brunt of Thailand’s turmoil, with a long-running feud between the party’s founders, the billionaire Shinawatra family, and conservative and royalist military forces leading to two governments being ousted in coups .
The decision could shake up political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra’s fragile truce with his enemies among conservative elites and military conservatives, which has set the tycoon up for a return in 2023 from a 15-year self-imposed exile. Ally Sreeta also became prime minister on the same day.
Srettha maintained that the appointment of former Shinawatra lawyer Pichit Chuenban was above board. The bribery allegations were never proven and Piji resigned in May.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is expected to take over as caretaker prime minister.
The Shinawatra family returns?
Some political experts believe Pheu Thai is likely to still have the influence to lead the next government after a period of haggling and uncertainty about who will take power.
“The alliance remains united,” said Olarn Thinbangtieo, associate dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Law at Eastern University.
“This may have some impact on confidence, but only in the short term.”
The next prime minister needs to be nominated by each political party before the 2023 election. Thaksin’s 37-year-old daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party, is one of the candidates of the Pheu Thai Party.
If successful, she would become Thailand’s third Prime Minister Shinawatra, after Thaksin Shinawatra and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra.
Other potential candidates include Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga and Prawit Wongsuwan, the influential former army chief involved in the last two coups.
The court ruling comes at a tricky time for the economy Srettha is trying to jump-start, with exports and consumer spending weak, household debt high and more than a million small businesses unable to get loans.
The government expects economic growth of just 2.7% in 2024, lagging regional peers, while Thailand is Asia’s worst-performing market this year, with its main stock index down about 17% so far this year.
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