The Constitutional Court of Thailand has struck again, removing yet another prime minister from office. The recent ruling has led to the suspension of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was deemed to have violated ethical standards during a phone call with Cambodian leader Hun Sen that was later leaked to the public.
During the call in June, Shinawatra appeared conciliatory towards Hun Sen concerning ongoing border disputes, while simultaneously criticizing her own military commanders. She defended her comments, asserting that she was making a diplomatic effort, and believed the conversation should have remained confidential.
The leak proved to be particularly damaging for her and the Pheu Thai party, causing significant political fallout and prompting calls for her resignation after a major coalition partner withdrew from the government, leaving her with a fragile majority.
With a margin of seven out of nine judges voting for her suspension, it was anticipated that Shinawatra would face consequences akin to those that befell her four predecessors, all of whom were also removed from office by the court. This trend has raised concerns about the court's biases against political figures perceived as threats to conservative royalist interests.
The court has been known to impose strict measures, having banned numerous political parties, including various iterations of Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai party and the reformist Move Forward party, which won in the previous elections.
The political crisis has been exacerbated by Hun Sen’s decision to leak their conversation after feeling insulted by a comment made by Shinawatra. This has fueled tensions not only in the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia but also within Thailand itself, particularly in light of a recent border conflict that resulted in significant casualties.
The constitution now mandates that Thai parliament members select a new prime minister from a limited pool of candidates, further complicating the already precarious political situation.
Pheu Thai has already exhausted two of its three nominees for prime minister, leading the party to consider its remaining candidate, Chaikasem Nitisiri, who lacks public visibility and is facing health issues. Meanwhile, Anutin Charnvirakul, the former interior minister whose party withdrew from the coalition, would require Pheu Thai's support to form a governing arrangement—an unlikely scenario given the current tensions.
Election prospects seem dim for Pheu Thai, which has been unable to fulfill its economic promises after two years in power, leaving many of its 140 seats vulnerable in any future vote. With political support dwindling, it is unclear if the Shinawatra legacy can withstand the growing disillusionment among the Thai populace.
