Thailand’s political landscape was thrown into fresh uncertainty on Wednesday after the ruling Pheu Thai party announced it had sought royal approval to dissolve parliament and call a new election. The dramatic move came just moments after the largest bloc in the House declared it would support a rival party in forming the next government.
The announcement follows last week’s removal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by court order over an ethics violation. Her dismissal set off a frantic scramble for power, with Pheu Thai struggling to hold together a fragile coalition while its former ally, the Bhumjaithai party, launched an aggressive bid to lead a new administration.
Paetongtarn’s ouster marked yet another chapter in Thailand’s decades-long political struggle between rival elite factions. She became the sixth prime minister from, or backed by, the influential Shinawatra family to be removed by either the military or the judiciary and the second in just a year.
In a decisive statement, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said his party would back Bhumjaithai’s attempt to form a government, aiming to block the return of what he described as an unfit coalition. However, he stressed that his party would not join the new administration.
“There is a risk of the old coalition returning, which has failed to govern effectively over the past two years, and a risk of the coup leader returning as prime minister,” Natthaphong warned, alluding to retired general Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in 2014 and remains eligible for the top job.
A parliamentary vote to select a new prime minister could take place as early as Friday, setting the stage for yet another pivotal moment in Thailand’s turbulent political history.
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