Thailand’s head of government deducted according to court ruling

Just a year after taking office, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has to cede again. The kingdom’s constitutional court decided that the 39-year-old, who had already been suspended in early July, had violated ethical principles in a leaked telephone conversation and had to give up her office. The verdict was broadcast live on the court’s website.

This now has to withdraw the entire cabinet – however, it remains in office until a new government is formed. Interim Minister Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai also continues to run the official business until the parliament decides on a new head of government. It is unclear whether this will come from Paetongtarn’s PHEU Thai party again. With Paetongtarn, the court has already dropped a total of five heads of government within 17 years.

In June, the court accepted a petition of 36 senators that accused the politician of serious ethical violations. Paetongtarn had increasingly come under pressure because of a leaked audio recording of a phone call with the Cambodian ex-long-term ruler and today’s Senate President Hun sen. Before the suspension, thousands of critics had demonstrated in Bangkok and demanded their resignation.

The explosive phone call in mid -June dealt with the long smoldering conflict on the approximately 800 km long border between the neighboring countries of Thailand and Cambodia. Most recently, the dispute was dramatically escalated after a change of shooting between soldiers from both countries at the end of May. At the end of July, a ceasefire was finally agreed during negotiations in Malaysia.

In her conversation with Cambodia’s strong man, Paetongtarn had described a high -ranking military in the border region as her “opponent” and addressed the Hun sen who were friends with her family as “uncle”. At the same time, she had said very submissively to him.

That caused great vertebrae. Although Paetongtarn later apologized, the second largest coalition party Bhumjaithai left the government alliance out of anger. The judges ruled their behavior and showed their political inexperience.

When she was elected as the new head of government by Parliament last August, a woman came to power for the second time in the history of Thailand. Paetongtarn at the age of 37 was also the youngest Prime Minister of all time in the Southeast Asian country. In the past, her father Thaaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra had led the government in front of her. Both were fell through a coup.

Thaksin is one of the richest men in the country. In 2008 he fled the country for various legal allegations to avoid a prison sentence. In 2023 he returned and was immediately imprisoned. King Maha Vajiralongkorn finally reduced Thaksin’s prison sentence for corruption to one year. In February 2024, the Tycoon was released prematurely from custody on probation. It was finally acquitted of the allegation of the majesty insult a week ago. In the event of a guilty verdict, he would have threatened up to 15 years in prison.