hailand\u2019s Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister\u00a0Srettha Thavisin\u00a0from office after finding him guilty of an ethics violation, throwing the Southeast Asian nation into a fresh bout of political turmoil.<\/p>\n
Srettha breached the provisions on integrity and ethical standards as mandated by the constitution by picking a tainted lawyer to be a cabinet minister in April, the nine-member court said during a read-out of the verdict on Wednesday. The judges voted 5 to 4 to dismiss Srettha and his cabinet. The court\u2019s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.<\/p>\n
Srettha\u2019s Pheu Thai Party moved swiftly to pick Chaikasem Nitisiri, 75, as its new prime ministerial candidate, Thai-language newspaper\u00a0Thairath<\/em> reported. The 500-member elected House of Representatives is scheduled to hold a special session on Friday to choose a new leader<\/p>\n Srettha\u2019s ouster risks political chaos in Thailand, where pro-royalist and conservative parties have jostled with pro-democracy groups for supremacy after a messy general election last year. Foreign investors have pulled money from the country, concerned by both political risk and the government\u2019s failure to revive Southeast Asia\u2019s second-largest economy after a decade of below 2% average annual growth.<\/p>\n The former property tycoon, who was seen as a proxy for the influential Shinawatra clan that controls Pheu Thai,\u00a0became prime minister<\/a>\u00a0after an agreement with the pro-establishment allies. The deal helped former leader\u00a0Thaksin Shinawatra<\/a>\u00a0return to Thailand after 15 years in self-imposed exile. But Thaksin\u2019s indictment in a\u00a0royal defamation<\/a> case in June, and now Srettha\u2019s removal, signal the possible unraveling of that deal.<\/p>\n The verdict against Srettha came days after the same court\u00a0dissolved<\/a>\u00a0the country\u2019s top opposition party\u00a0Move Forward<\/a>, which won the the most number of seats in the\u00a02023 election<\/a>\u00a0but was\u00a0blocked from power<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018Harsh game\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThese two weeks have clearly shown that the establishment is playing the harsh game,\u201d said Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at King Prajadhipok\u2019s Institute in Bangkok. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t mean the deal is off, but this is meant to tighten the leash around Thaksin and Pheu Thai and push them into total submission.\u201d<\/p>\n Srettha\u2019s dismissal was in response to a petition by a group of former conservative senators who argued that Pichit Chuenban\u2019s appointment as a minister violated the ethics rules. Pichit, a former lawyer representing Thaksin, was not qualified as he was jailed in 2008 for contempt of court following a bribery attempt, according to the petition.<\/p>\n Srettha said that he was saddened by the court decision and hoped the next premier will be selected soon by the parliament. The government\u2019s dismissal will affect key economic policies, including a controversial $14 billion cash handout program to stimulate the economy, he said.<\/p>\n The nation\u2019s benchmark stock index fell as much as 1.3% before trimming losses to close 0.4% lower. The baht pared gains after the ruling but closed 0.6% higher against the dollar.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision won\u2019t be taken well by markets given the rise in political uncertainty and the associated downside risks to growth stemming from potential unrest and delays to economic policy implementation,\u201d said Krystal Tan, an economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group. \u201cWe need to see whether we end up with a prolonged political vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n