Thai Court ousts Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Thailand has been thrown into fresh political turmoil after the Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday, citing ethical violations.

The court ruled that the 39-year-old leader breached standards of integrity during a leaked phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, in which she criticised a Thai army commander amid tense border clashes and assured Hun Sen of her personal support.

In its verdict, the court said Shinawatra “failed to demonstrate honesty and integrity” and had “seriously violated ethical rules.”

Shinawatra, the youngest person ever to lead Thailand, is the sixth member of the powerful Shinawatra family to be forced out of power by either coups or court rulings over the past 17 years.

Her dismissal comes at a time of growing frustration over Thailand’s faltering economy, which is expected to expand by just 2.3% this year, and stalled political reforms.

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will now serve in a caretaker capacity until parliament chooses a new leader.

Among those tipped as possible successors are Chaikasem Nitisiri, a veteran politician from the ruling Pheu Thai party; former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the 2014 coup; and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who recently withdrew his party from Shinawatra’s coalition.

Paetongtarn, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was still relatively new to politics when she assumed power last year following the court-ordered removal of her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin.

No date has yet been set for the parliamentary vote to select Thailand’s next prime minister.