Thailand's Constitutional Court today dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on charges of violating the ethical rules laid down in the Constitution by appointing a minister who was sentenced to prison in 2008.
The judges decided, by five votes in favour and four against, to ‘terminate’ Srettha's position, said judge Punya Udchachon, reading out the decision, according to the French news agency AFP.
Strettha said that she respected the Constitutional Court's decision, even though it was not what she had expected.
‘I respect the decision. I repeat that for almost a year in this post, I have done my best to govern the country honestly,’ she told reporters upon arriving at government headquarters in Bangkok.
‘I have no authority left. The authority is now with the interim prime minister,’ he added, quoted by the Thai newspaper Bangkok Post.
The court found Strettha guilty of appointing Pichit Chuenban, who was sentenced in 2008 to six months in prison for an offence of attempting to bribe judicial officials, as finance minister at the end of April.
The complaint was lodged with the court by a group of 40 former senators elected by the now-defunct military junta (2014-2019).
The decision comes a week after the same court dissolved Move Forward, the winning party in the 2023 elections, which was barred from governing by the Senate, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Strettha Thavisin, 62, came to power almost a year ago after leading a coalition of the Phue Thai party, the second most voted, with several parties, including two linked to the former military junta.
Srettha's dismissal brings down the entire cabinet and the House of Representatives will have to choose a new leader, for which there is, in principle, no deadline, which could paralyse the Southeast Asian country.The ministers will remain in place, with Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai acting as interim prime minister, according to the Bangkok Post.The removal of the prime minister and last week's dissolution of Move Forward have sparked widespread criticism for what is seen as a judicialisation of politics.
Move Forward reappeared last Friday under a new name, the People's Party, and remains the main opposition force, according to EFE.Southeast Asia's second largest economy, accustomed to cyclical crises, has a long history of instability and intervention in the political system by the military or the judiciary.
It is also characterised by deep divisions between the military/monarchy bloc and the progressive movement, according to AFP.
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