Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra Loses Office in Ethics Ruling

BANGKOK, Aug 30: Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for an ethics violation, ending her tenure just a year after she became the country’s youngest leader. The ruling marks yet another setback for the Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thai politics for two decades but faced repeated removals by the military and judiciary.

Paetongtarn, 39, the daughter of former prime minister and billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, was found guilty of violating ethics standards over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen in June. In the conversation, she appeared to defer to Hun Sen as the two nations stood on the brink of a border conflict. Weeks later, fighting erupted and lasted five days.

The court’s ruling removes the sixth Shinawatra-backed leader since 2006, deepening the country’s long-running power struggle between elected governments and entrenched conservative and military elites.

Paetongtarn, who replaced former premier Srettha Thavisin after his dismissal by the same court last year, apologized for the incident, saying her intention was to prevent war. But the verdict immediately weakens her ruling Pheu Thai Party, which now faces a difficult battle to preserve its fragile coalition.

Until a new leader is chosen by parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the cabinet will serve in a caretaker capacity. The selection process could be prolonged, with political bargaining expected to intensify among parties and power brokers.

Among the five eligible candidates for the premiership is 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri of Pheu Thai, a former attorney general with limited political visibility. Other potential contenders include Anutin Charnvirakul, who recently pulled his party out of Paetongtarn’s coalition, and former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, though he has officially retired from politics.

Analysts warn that Thailand now faces an extended period of political uncertainty amid a sluggish economy and rising public discontent over stalled reforms.

“Appointing a new prime minister will be difficult and may take considerable time,” said Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. “The Pheu Thai Party will be at a disadvantage, and forming a stable government with only a slim majority will be a major challenge.”