Srettha Thavisin, Thailand’s Prime Minister has been removed by a Constitutional Court for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who was once jailed.
According to reports, Judge Punya Udchachon, reading the ruling on Wednesday, said the court voted 5-4 to remove Srettha, whose appointment of former lawyer Pichit Chuenban, jailed for six months in 2008 for contempt of court conviction, fell short of official moral and ethical standards.
The Constitutional Court ruled that Srettha had violated the “rules on ethics” with “the display of defiant behaviour”.
The 62-year-old Srettha, who has been in power for less than a year, is the third PM in 16 years to be removed by the same court.
He will be replaced by an interim leader until Thailand’s parliament convenes to elect a new prime minister.
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Five of the court’s nine judges voted to dismiss Srettha and his Cabinet, ruling that the prime minister was “well aware that he appointed a person who seriously lacked moral integrity.”
A new government must now be formed, and the ruling Pheu Thai-led coalition will nominate a new candidate for prime minister, which will be voted on by the 500-seat parliament.
Speaking to reporters after the decision, Srettha said he performed his duty as prime minister as best he could, and said he “accepts the verdict.” He added that he was unsure whether the next government would continue with his policies.
“I’m confident in my honesty … I feel sorry, but I’m not saying I disagree with the ruling,” he said at a press conference shortly after the ruling. The court’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed.
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The verdict means more upheaval for Thailand’s already turbulent political landscape, in which those pushing for change have frequently run afoul of the establishment – a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites.
In May the court had accepted a petition filed by some 40 senators asking to remove the PM from his position over his appointment of Pichit Chuenban – who was previously sentenced to six months in jail for attempted bribery.
The vote for a new prime minister will involve plenty of backroom bargaining, while Thailand struggles to revive its faltering economy.
Hopes that the country was now putting the political turmoil, including two military coups that have shaken it for the past two decades, have proved premature.
Srettha became prime minister only last August, ending nine years of military-dominated governments in Thailand.
His appointment too was the result of a political bargain that froze out the young, reformist Move Forward party, which had won the most seats and votes in last year’s general election.
It was a stunning victory that raised hopes for a fresh start for Thailand but Move Forward was blocked from forming the government by the military-appointed senate.
The election’s second-biggest winner Pheu Thai then struck a deal with other conservative parties to form a ruling coalition without Move Forward – and Srettha found himself at the helm.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is expected to take over as the caretaker premier.
