Overview

• A nine-judge panel began deliberations at 9:30 a.m. in Bangkok with a ruling expected from 3 p.m. local time (0800 GMT).
• Paetongtarn was suspended in July after senators alleged she breached ethical standards in a leaked call where she addressed Hun Sen as "uncle" and criticized a Thai military commander during border tensions.
• If she is dismissed, parliament must choose a successor from candidates nominated before the 2023 election, with reported possibilities including Pheu Thai’s Chaikasem Nitisiri, Bhumjaithai’s Anutin Charnvirakul, and former premier Prayuth Chan-ocha.
• The leak preceded the deadliest Thai–Cambodian fighting in decades, with more than 40 people killed and about 300,000 displaced; a ceasefire is currently in place.
• Analysts warn of instability regardless of the outcome, noting protests, the loss of a coalition partner, and the prospect that she could become the fifth premier in 17 years removed by the court.