3 min readNew DelhiAug 30, 2025 06:02 PM IST
First published on: Aug 30, 2025 at 06:02 PM IST
Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday (August 29) dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as Prime Minister after only a year in power over an ethics violation, triggering the race to find her successor.
Shinawatra had been suspended from her post in July over a leaked June phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in which she allegedly spoke disparagingly of her own military’s actions in the border dispute between the two nations. The leaked phone call had spurred widespread protests, and saw the ruling coalition lose support from a major ally.
“Due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, the respondent was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side,” the court said. It dismissed her claims that the call was a “personal negotiation to… bring back peace without using violence.”
She has thus become the fifth Prime Minister, and the third from the Shinawatra family, to be removed by the nine-member Constitutional Court since 2008.
Will the Thai parliament be dissolved?
Thus far, the situation does not necessitate the dissolution of parliament. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will continue in his post as acting prime minister, which he has held since Shinawatra’s suspension in July. The current cabinet will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until the parliament chooses a new prime minister on a date selected by the house speaker.
No time frame has been specified in the constitution for the lower house to convene.
The exit of the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, a major member of the ruling alliance, in June left the coalition with a wafer-thin majority of seven seats, which it cannot stand to lose.
Who can become the new Prime Minister?
Prospective candidates need the endorsement of at least 50 lawmakers before the vote. The candidate who secures the votes of more than half the lower house’s current members – 247 out of 492 votes – may become the Prime Minister. If no candidate secures as many votes, the process may be repeated indefinitely until a Prime Minister is chosen.
Five eligible candidates remain from those declared ahead of the 2023 election:
- From the ruling Pheu Thai party to which Shinawatra belongs, Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, a former justice minister and attorney general who has maintained a low profile.
- The Bhumjaithai Party on Friday announced that it had secured enough support from other parties to vote to form a new government under its leader, Anutin Charnvirakul.
- Current Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga.
- Former deputy prime minister Jurin Laksanawisit.
- Former PM, Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired army general who had led the 2014 coup against the previous Pheu Thai government. He has since retired from politics and is currently a royal adviser.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday (August 29) dismissed Paetongtarn Shinawatra as Prime Minister after only a year in power over an ethics violation, triggering the race to find her successor. (AP) 
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