The development comes at the same time as a cabinet reshuffle, setting the scene for a remarkably rapid rotation schedule at the prime minister’s office. Here is what we know about the crisis:
– Who’s in charge? –
Thai analysts say transport minister and deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, from Paetongtarn’s own Pheu Thai party, will initially take charge as acting prime minister. But just hours before Paetongtarn’s suspension, Thailand’s king approved a cabinet reshuffle after her biggest coalition partner quit the government over the diplomatic row.
The new office holders will be sworn in on Thursday, when outgoing defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai will be sworn in as interior minister. He will also resume his previously-held role as deputy prime minister. He is also expected to step into the role of acting premier, two analysts told AFP, the third person to control the office in three days.
But Paetongtarn’s father and the family patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra is said to remain the true driving force of the Pheu Thai party, even as its fortunes fade.
– What happens next? –
But Paetongtarn’s father and the family patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra is said to remain the true driving force of the Pheu Thai party, even as its fortunes fade. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
The path forward is unclear. There is no set time limit for the Constitutional Court’s investigation, but if it finds Paetongtarn has breached ministerial ethics she could be removed from office permanently.
In the cabinet reshuffle Paetongtarn assigned herself the portfolio of culture minister, meaning she may keep a perch in the upper echelons of power. But her position and her coalition are severely weakened, even though they still command a parliamentary majority which reduces the chance of an imminent election.
Another Thai analyst, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, said Paetongtarn’s suspension plunged her into “a prolonged political limbo”. “Thailand will have a rudderless government with policy inertia and murky directions ahead,” he told AFP. “With Pheu Thai’s weak grip on power, infighting and squabbling will likely characterise the coalition government.”
– What caused this? –
In the cabinet reshuffle Paetongtarn assigned herself the portfolio of culture minister, meaning she may keep a perch in the upper echelons of power
The court case was brought against the heiress of the powerful Shinawatra dynasty by conservative lawmakers accusing her of breaching a requirement for “evident integrity” during a diplomatic call with Cambodia.
Thailand and Cambodia have long been at loggerheads over a territorial dispute, which intensified into a cross-border clash in May that left one of Phnom Penh’s troops dead. When Paetongtarn called Cambodian ex-leader Hun Sen to discuss the row she called him “uncle” and referred to a Thai military commander as her “opponent”, sparking widespread backlash over her rhetoric.
The Constitutional Court said there was “sufficient cause to suspect” Paetongtarn may have breached ministerial ethics in the conversation, a recording of which was leaked in Cambodia.
Paetongtarn said she accepts the court’s decision to suspend her. “I will do my best to explain my intention,” she told reporters. “It’s always been my intention to do the best thing for my country.
Platform with AFP
