A court in Thailand has removed the Prime Minister from office due to an ethical violation, adding to the recent political turmoil in the country following the dissolution of the main opposition party. The Constitutional Court's decision stemmed from the Prime Minister's appointment of a Cabinet member who had previously been imprisoned for attempting to bribe a court official.
The court voted 5:4 against the Prime Minister, leading to his immediate removal from office. The Cabinet will continue to function in a caretaker capacity until a new Prime Minister is approved by Parliament, with no set timeline for this process.
The controversy arose when the Prime Minister appointed a minister who had served jail time for contempt of court charges related to bribery allegations involving a former Prime Minister. Despite the appointee having completed his sentence, the court deemed his past behavior as dishonest, leading to the Prime Minister's violation of ethics codes for nominating him.
The petition against the Prime Minister was initiated by former members of the Senate, who had blocked the opposition party's candidate for Prime Minister previously. This move was perceived as favoring a pro-military political party within the coalition government.
Thailand's courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, are viewed as upholding the interests of the royalist establishment, often influencing political outcomes. The Prime Minister assumed office last year after his party finished second in the elections, following a complex series of political maneuvers involving various parties and the Senate.
Notably, the Constitutional Court recently dissolved the Move Forward Party, which had won the most seats in the election but failed to secure power. The dissolution was based on allegations of violating the constitution by proposing changes to a law concerning defamation of the royal family. The party has since rebranded itself as the People's Party.
