Description: After the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by Thailand’s Constitutional Court on grounds of ethics violations, the influential People’s Party blocked the parliamentary vote for the country’s next Prime Minister. The party’s spokesperson, Parit Wacharasindhu, stated that the People’s Party didn’t trust the ruling Pheu Thai or the Bhumjaithai party as their aspirational candidate, Anutin Charnvirakul, stated over the past weekend that he had already collected the necessary votes. Shinawatra’s ouster caused significant political disruption, as the ruling Pheu Thai party’s credibility and integrity has been seriously damaged, while the Bhumjaithai party’s conservative governance approach is considered inadequate for Thailand’s future. Special parliamentary session is expected to be held this week, as parties would be expected to nominate their candidates for the country’s next Prime Minister. The People’s Party has repeatedly stated its standing of supporting a Prime Minister which would dissolve the Parliament and call for early elections. The People’s Party won the 2023 election but was blocked from power by the lawmakers aligned with the royalist military circles.
Impact: Thailand has officially entered a new phase of internal political instability as parties exchange and shift allegiances depending on their independent political charters. The special parliamentary session would most probably expand the crisis as the dominant People’s Party is obviously vying for resurrecting their political campaign where they pledged to reduce the influence of the military upon the country’s political establishment and limit the powers of the so called lese – majeste laws that protect Thailand’s ruling monarchy. The move would most likely be contested by the Bhumjaithai party and the Pheu Thai party, however, their dependence on support from the People’s Party could prompt them to commit towards political concessions. Thailand has no time limit in choosing its next Prime Minister which coupled with the political battle for prevalence could result in a protracted political crisis in the country which is struggling to resolve a crucial century – long border dispute with neighboring Cambodia and jumpstart its stagnant economy.