Description: Thailand’s Constitutional Court has adopted the initiative launched by the 36 Thai senators and suspended the Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, from duty, pending an ongoing ethics investigation. The Court ruled 7 to 2 in favor of suspending Shinawatra as the initiative was prompted by the leaked phone call between the Prime Minister and Cambodia’s influential Senate President Hun Sen where Shinawatra was recorded demeaning a Thai border commander and warmly addressing Hun Sen. Protests erupted over the weekend as the public sought from the Constitutional Court to permanently remove Shinawatra from office since the Prime Minister has effectively undermined Thailand’s independence, national dignity and integrity. Shinawatra addressed the public following the Court’s decision and stated that she accepts the 15 – day deadline to present her defense while also apologizing to the population for her actions which were not ill intended as per her public statement. Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungruangkit would serve as acting Prime Minister until the investigation is concluded and the next steps determined, regarding Shinawatra’s political future and potential early elections in the country.
Impact: Thailand’s political crisis enters a new phase of escalation and uncertainty, as Prime Minister Shinawatra is largely expected to be removed from office following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation. The political crisis was instigated by Cambodia’s President of Senate, Hun Sen, who publicly stated that he leaked the phone call between himself and Shinawatra which signals that Cambodia is looking to divert the ongoing border tension escalations towards inciting political instability and causing a prolonged period of turmoil, distancing Thailand from being able to address the bilateral dispute. Thailand’s long history of toppled leaders of government continues to revolve around the country’s influential military which is again threatening of influencing the political circles and inserting itself directly into the decision-making policies. The situation also emphasizes the amount of power the country’s Constitutional Court holds in terms of controlling the distribution of power and influence within Thailand’s ruling government. The stalemate in regard to the border dispute works in Cambodia’s favor as Thailand would most probably be faced with early elections and a prolonged political crisis which would distance the country’s leadership from addressing the transpiring dispute with its neighbor.