Overview

• The Constitutional Court voted 6–3 to remove Paetongtarn Shinawatra for an ethics breach tied to a June call with Hun Sen, finding she put private interests above the national interest and harmed Thailand’s reputation.
• In the leaked recording, she addressed Hun Sen as “uncle,” criticized a Thai army commander and offered to “take care of” requests, remarks she later said were part of an effort to defuse tensions.
• Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the cabinet will serve in a caretaker capacity until parliament elects a successor from a short list submitted before the 2023 election.
• Only five people are eligible for the top job, including Pheu Thai’s remaining nominee Chaikasem Nitisiri, with potential rivals such as Anutin Charnvirakul and the eligible former leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha.
• Her ouster follows deadly Thai–Cambodian border clashes in July that killed more than 40 and displaced roughly 300,000 before a ceasefire, and it further weakens Pheu Thai after Bhumjaithai quit the coalition as markets slid on political uncertainty.