Thailand's Constitutional Court has struck again, removing yet another prime minister from office. The country's notoriously interventionist panel of nine appointed judges has ruled that Paetongtarn Shinawatra violated ethical standards during a phone call with the veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, which was subsequently leaked.
In the conversation, Paetongtarn was heard being conciliatory towards Hun Sen regarding their nations' border dispute, and she criticized one of her own army commanders. She defended her conversation by claiming she was trying to broker a diplomatic breakthrough with Hun Sen, a long-time friend of her father Thaksin Shinawatra. However, the leak proved damaging and led to public outcry, escalating calls for her resignation as her major coalition partner exited the government.
In July, the court's decision to suspend her, with seven out of nine judges voting in favor, suggested that she would face the same fate as her four predecessors, making Friday's outcome predictable. Paetongtarn is now the fifth Thai prime minister to be ousted by this court, all connected to administrations supported by her father. This pattern has generated widespread belief that the court systematically targets figures perceived as threats by conservative and royalist forces.
The court has also banned 112 political parties, including prior versions of Thaksin's Pheu Thai party and the reformist Move Forward movement that won the last elections.
Hun Sen's anger, driven by a comment from Paetongtarn describing the Cambodian leadership's use of social media as 'unprofessional,' appears to have sparked the fallout. The situation was further exacerbated by a recent border conflict that resulted in over 40 casualties.
With the requirement for members of parliament to elect a new prime minister from a limited list, Pheu Thai has exhausted two candidates, placing pressure on the party to find a suitable successor. Their remaining candidate lacks public recognition and is in deteriorating health, while the former interior minister whose party left the coalition may struggle to establish stability.
As relations suffer and the major opposition party remains firm in its decision to stay out of coalition talks, a new election might be the only viable resolution. Nonetheless, Pheu Thai's desire to avoid elections—coupled with its inability to fulfill economic revitalization promises—casts doubt on its future.
Once an indomitable force within Thai politics, the Shinawatra dynasty appears to face an uphill battle to regain its former influence amid changing sentiments exacerbated by nationalistic reactions to recent conflicts.
