Political chaos in Thailand: PM Srettha Thavisin removed from office by court

Throwing the country into a political conundrum,Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday (Aug 14) removed Prime MinisterSrettha Thavisin from office in an ethics case.Thai lawmakers will vote on new PM on Friday (Aug 16), it emerged later.

Judge Punya Udchachon saidThavisin had violated the constitution by appointing a lawyer to the cabinet who had previously served prison time. The court voted five to four to remove Srettha, who came to power last year.

Notably,Srettha appointedPichit Chuenban as a Minister of the Prime Minister's Office during a cabinet reshuffle in April, earlier this year.

Pichit served six months in jail in 2008 on contempt of court charges after he allegedly bribed a judge with $55,000 in cash, involving former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

A month after Pichit's appointment, a group of 40 military-appointedformer senators filed the case against Srettha, hoping to remove him from office.

Srettha has denied any wrongdoing in the case, adding that Pichit had resigned from the post and was only appointed in the first place by following proper procedures.

The court dismissed Srettha's claims stating that although Pichit had served a jail sentence, his behaviour, as ruled by the Supreme Court, remained dishonest.

WATCH |Thailand gets its 30th Prime Minister as Srettha Thavisin elected as new PM

What happens next?

The cabinet will not be dissolved instantly, albeit it will remain in place on a caretaker basis until the Thai Parliament approves a new PM.

The Ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition will have to nominate a new candidate which will be then voted on by the 500-seat parliament. However, there is no time limit for the Parliament to chooseSrettha's replacement which puts the country's future in jeopardy.

Fears of political system collapsing

Notably, the decision comes a week after the same court ordered the kingdom's most popular political party to be disbanded. The Move Forward Party (MFP) that won the elections in 2023 by securing the most seats was dissolved, following the Election Commission's (EC) request.

The EC took offence to MFP's campaign to amend lese-majeste - the country's notoriously strict royal insult law. Apart from the party, itsexecutive board, which includes former leader Pita Limjaroenrat were also banned for 10 years.

Lese-majeste charges are extremely serious in Thailand, where King Maha Vajiralongkorn enjoys a quasi-divine status that places him above any political party, organisation or leader.

(With inputs from agencies)