BANGKOK– A Thai court on Wednesday removed Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office for violating ethics rules, further shaking up Thai politics after the court ordered the dissolution of the largest opposition party a week earlier.
The Constitutional Court ruled on a case involving Srettha’s appointment of a cabinet member who had been detained in connection with an alleged bribery attempt against a judicial official.
The court voted 5-4 against Srettha and the ruling removed him from office with immediate effect.
The cabinet remains in office in a caretaker capacity until parliament confirms a new prime minister. There is no deadline for parliament to fill the position. The caretaker cabinet could also dissolve parliament and call new elections.
The acting prime minister is to be Phumtham Wechayachai of the Pheu Thai Party. Phumtham was first deputy prime minister and trade minister under Srettha.
If parliament is given the task of electing a new prime minister, it will be able to choose from a list of candidates nominated for the post by the major political parties over the past year. The Pheu Thai party, of which Srettha is a member, has two possible candidates, including Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Another favorite would be Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which came third in last year’s election. He is currently deputy prime minister and home minister. Anuthin, a power broker in the vote-rich northeast whose family owns a major construction company, served in both a military-backed government and the civilian government that replaced it.
Also in the running are two former senior military officers: Prayuth Chan-ocha, who served as prime minister for nine years following a coup in 2014, and Prawit Wongsuwan, one of Prayuth’s deputy prime ministers.
Srettha, who spoke at Government House shortly after the verdict was announced, thanked the judges for giving him the opportunity to defend himself. He said he respected the verdict and had always tried to act ethically during his tenure.
“I am sorry that I am seen as an unethical prime minister, but that is not who I am,” he said.
Srettha had appointed Pichit Chuenban as minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in a Cabinet reshuffle in April. Pichit was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court in 2008 after allegedly trying to bribe a judge with 2 million baht ($55,000) in cash in a shopping bag in a case involving Thaksin, the former prime minister.
Pichit resigned from his post a few weeks after his appointment as controversy over the incident flared up again.
The court stated that although Pichit had already served his prison sentence, his conduct was – as the Supreme Court ruled – dishonorable.
Srettha, as prime minister, was solely responsible for checking the qualifications of his cabinet nominees, the court ruled. It said he knew about Pichit’s past but nominated him anyway, and therefore violated ethics rules.
The petition against Srettha was initiated by former members of the military-appointed Senate who had refused to support Move Forward’s prime ministerial candidate when the party tried to form a government after its election victory.
The petition against Srettha was seen as a move to favour a pro-military political party in his coalition government.
Thailand’s courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, are seen as a bulwark of the country’s royalist establishment, which uses them and nominally independent state bodies such as the Election Commission to make rulings that can weaken or overthrow political opponents.
Srettha became prime minister in August last year, although his Pheu Thai party came second in the general election. After Move Forward was denied power by the Senate, whose term ended in May, Pheu Thai – then Move Forward’s biggest partner – excluded the party from the coalition and joined forces with parties close to the previous military government to gain enough support from other parties and the Senate to confirm a new prime minister.
Srettha, 62, was a property manager before entering politics. He emphasized opening up Thailand after nearly a decade of military rule and traveled abroad frequently for trade negotiations. His party pushed through a populist plan for a 10,000 baht ($286) handout to stimulate the economy, a key campaign promise last year but delayed by formalities, mainly involving funding.
His government also promoted Thai cultural products through a soft power agency and the important tourism sector through easing entry requirements and other measures.
Srettha, who tried to project the image of a strong chief executive, was seen by critics as an agent of Thaksin. Thaksin returned last August to agree to a deal that his critics said was essential to Srettha’s election as prime minister.
Last week, the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the progressive Move Forward party. The accusation was that the party had violated the constitution by proposing an amendment to a law against defamation of the country’s royal family. The party has already reformed itself as a people’s party.
