Thai court removes PM Srettha over Cabinet appointment controversy

• Thavisin, a real estate tycoon, becomes the fourth Thai premier in 16 years.
• The court dissolved the anti-establishment Move Forward Party.
• Deputy Premier Phumtham Wechayachai is set to assume the role of caretaker.

On Wednesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing a former lawyer with a criminal record to his cabinet. This decision raises the prospect of increased political upheaval and a potential reshuffling of the governing alliance.

Srettha, a real estate tycoon, becomes the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed by the court, which ruled he breached the constitution by appointing a minister who did not meet ethical standards.

Srettha's removal, less than a year into his tenure, forces parliament to convene to select a new premier, adding to the uncertainty in a country plagued by coups and court rulings over the past two decades that have toppled multiple governments and political parties.

Last week, the same court dissolved the anti-establishment Move Forward Party, a popular opposition group, ruling that its campaign to reform a law against insulting the crown threatened the constitutional monarchy. The party regrouped on Friday under a new name.

Srettha’s Pheu Thai Party and its predecessors have suffered the most from Thailand’s turmoil, with two of its governments overthrown by coups in a long-standing conflict between the party’s founders, the billionaire Shinawatra family, and their rivals in the conservative establishment and royalist military.

The court’s decision could destabilize the fragile truce between political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra and his adversaries among the conservative elite and military old guard. This truce facilitated Thaksin’s return from 15 years of self-exile in 2023 and allowed his ally Srettha to become premier on the same day.

Srettha defended his appointment of former Shinawatra lawyer Pichit Chuenban, who was briefly imprisoned for contempt of court in 2008 over an alleged bribery attempt, arguing that it was legitimate. The bribery allegation was never proven, and Pichit resigned in May.

Deputy Premier Phumtham Wechayachai is set to assume the role of caretaker prime minister.

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