A court in Thailand has removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office with immediate effect on the basis of what the court calls an “ethical violation.”
On Wednesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court voted 5-4 in favor of stripping Srettha of his position on the grounds that he had appointed to his Cabinet a member of parliament who had been imprisoned for an alleged attempt to bribe an official.
Srettha, who led the ruling Pheu Thai party, spoke outside the court in Bangkok, accepting the decision.
“The Constitutional Court has made their decision and I abide by it,” he told reporters. “I can assure, since I’ve been working as prime minister, I have done my best with the best intentions and there was no personal conflict with anybody.”
He also refuted that he is an “unethical” person.
“I feel sorry that people are calling me an unethical [prime minister]. I can assure you that I am not that kind of person,” he added.
After the ruling, Srettha was removed immediately from his duties. His Cabinet is expected to stay in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is selected. Phumtham Wechayachai, who was first deputy prime minister under Srettha, is expected to become acting prime minister.
The action was taken a week after the Constitutional Court dissolved the Move Forward Party. The reformists, who had pledged to amend Thailand’s strict laws that prohibit criticism of Thailand’s royalty, were dissolved after the court ruled their pledges were aimed at toppling the monarchy.
Last week’s ruling also banned the party’s leaders from politics for 10 years. Move Forward had won the most votes in Thailand’s general election in 2023 but the Senate blocked the party from leading government.
Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch, said the recent rulings amounted to a “judicial coup.”
“Within 7 days Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the election winner Move Forward Party, sacked PM [Srettha Thavisin], from the runner-up Pheu Thai Party, and removed the elected government from power. This is a serious blow to democracy,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran journalist for Khaosod English and political analyst in Thailand, said Srettha’s case is serious.
“One can regard it as a judicial coup, although I mean to be fair, Srettha had appointed someone who has been charged in the past for attempted bribery of a judge, which is a serious thing,” he told VOA.
In a Cabinet reshuffle in April, Srettha appointed Pichit Cheunban as a minister of the prime minister’s office. But Pichit stepped down from his role weeks later after nationwide attention turned to his imprisonment in 2008 for contempt of court after he allegedly tried to bribe a judge with $55,000 in cash over a case involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The court ruled that Srettha had sole responsibility for qualifying his Cabinet’s appointments, despite knowing of Pichit’s criminal past, and had thereby violated the ethics codes in Thailand’s Constitution.
Thailand is governed by a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with the king as head of state. It is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judiciary.
Pravit says Thailand’s leaders are not on the same page.
“We need to take last week's ruling into consideration against Move Forward Party. I think it's clear that the traditional branch [the monarchy, judiciary and military], particularly the Constitutional Court, are now playing a very active role. I think they clash heads on with the electorate,” he told VOA.
“You have the electorate, who vote for whichever party they like, and we see two very prominent parties. On the other hand, you have the military, the senior bureaucracy, bureaucrats and the court, and then the third one might even say the monarchy. Nobody is fully in charge. I think that's the reality. I think the country is deeply divided,” he said.
The U.S. State Department said it hopes a new prime minister will be selected “as soon as possible.”
“We are aware of today’s ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court to dismiss Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the entire Cabinet from office. The United States looks forward to the selection of a new prime minister as soon as possible, and a smooth transition of power,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA.
Srettha took office in August 2023.
Srettha had pushed to open up Thailand following nine years under a military government marked by reform protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He relaxed visitor requirements for nearly 100 countries in an effort to boost tourism in Thailand, a crucial part of the country’s economy. He also introduced new visa initiatives, including the Destination Thailand Visa, aiming to lure professionals and digital nomads to work and stay in the kingdom.
But Srettha’s main pledge during his campaign was the Digital Wallet scheme, giving millions of eligible Thai citizens $286 in digital currency handouts to stimulate the sluggish economy. The plan had finally launched in August and millions had applied online.
With Srettha’s dismissal, the vote for a new prime minister is set to be held on Friday in parliament. There is no immediate rush for that to happen and the caretaker Cabinet could also dissolve parliament and call for a new election should nothing be resolved.
The question that still remains concerns the alliance among Pheu Thai, its conservative allies and the party’s driving force, founder Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawtra, is a potential Pheu Thai candidate for the top post. But reports late Wednesday suggested that Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former minister of justice, could be named as the party’s main candidate.
Another frontrunner would be Anutin Charnvirakul, head of Thailand’s Bhumjaithai party, and a current deputy prime minister.
Nike Ching contributed to this report.
