Thai prime minister removed by court, triggering power scramble
Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday for an ethics violation, in another crushing blow to the Shinawatra political dynasty that triggered a flurry of deal-making aimed at filling the void.
Paetongtarn, who was Thailand’s youngest prime minister, became the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary in a tumultuous two-decade battle for power between the country’s warring elites.
The ruling paves the way for the election by parliament of a new prime minister, a process that could be drawn out, with Paetongtarn’s ruling Pheu Thai party losing bargaining power and facing a challenge to shore up a fragile alliance with a razor-thin majority.
The court said Paetongtarn violated ethics in a leaked June telephone call, during which…
