BANGKOK, Aug 9 (Reuters) – Thailand's Constitutional Court will rule on the fate of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Aug. 14, just days after it dissolved the winner of the 2023 election, Move Forward, underscoring the central role of the judiciary in the country's protracted power struggle.
Is this the end of reform politics in Thailand?
The two cases have heightened political uncertainty and concerns about potential unrest in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, which has been mired in turmoil for two decades, with multiple parties dissolved and governments toppled by court rulings and military coups.
Srettha is facing dismissal after senators, hand-picked by a military junta, complained that he violated the constitution by appointing a former lawyer who was once jailed to the cabinet. The senators, whose term has expired, said the appointment did not meet ethical requirements.
Pichit Chuenban, who once represented the politically powerful Shinawatra family, which founded Srettha's ruling Pheu Thai party, was found guilty of contempt of court for an alleged attempt to bribe court staff, which was never proven.
