Thailand‘s Constitutional Court has removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, finding her guilty of ethical misconduct over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen.
The ruling, made on August 29, 2025, marks the fifth time a Thai prime minister has been stripped of office by the court since 2008, plunging the kingdom into political uncertainty and potentially leading to a snap election.
The nine-judge court, perceived to be aligned with Thailand’s royalist military establishment, ruled by a majority vote (6 to 3) that Paetongtarn’s ministership had “individually terminated”.
The court found that Paetongtarn had “seriously violated” the ethical standards required of a prime minister when she spoke to Hun Sen during an escalating border conflict between the two countries.
In the leaked conversation, Paetongtarn was heard pandering to Hun Sen and calling him “uncle”, while criticizing a senior Thai army commander as an “opponent”.
Paetongtarn defended herself after the verdict, insisting that she had tried to safeguard the country’s interests and called for political unity. “My intentions were for the benefit of the country, not for personal gain, but for the lives of the people, including civilians and soldiers,” she said. “In a time like this, everyone must come together to contribute to our nation’s stability.”
The ruling is a major blow to the Shinawatra family, with Paetongtarn being the second prime minister to be toppled by the court in a year. Her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, was also sacked over alleged ethical violations. Analysts say this could be used as leverage to force the Pheu Thai Party into a new coalition arrangement under conservative leadership.
Napon Jatusripitak, visiting fellow and acting coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the ruling marked the latest instance of judicial overreach.
“It affirms a troubling pattern in which an unelected panel of judges gets to decide on the country’s political future, overriding any semblance of democratic mandate or accountability to the electorate,” he said.
The future of Thailand’s government remains uncertain, with Pheu Thai having one more eligible candidate, 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri, a Thaksin loyalist and former justice minister.
Other potential candidates include Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party and Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former leader of the United Thai Nation Party and a current member of the Privy Council.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor and senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, said Anutin appears to be the most viable candidate.
“Bhumjaithai has fewer MPs and is half the size of Pheu Thai. But Bhumjaithai has what appears to be palace backing and the support of the Senate,” Thitinan said. “Anutin can make deals whereby Pheu Thai can still be in government and control, allocate the key choice cabinet portfolios that they want, and Bhumjaithai under Anutin, a coalition government with Pheu Thai can run out the clock into the next election, possibly, potentially.”
If legislators fail to form a new government, a snap election may be called. However, Thitinan said a new election wouldn’t solve Thailand’s political limbo.
“It’s been around for two decades, and you know, the question to me today is not about Paetongtarn being removed, but why is it that Thailand keeps having its prime ministers suspended and being removed? And the answer is that the conservative forces do not want reform and progress,” he said.
The removal of Paetongtarn highlights the ongoing power struggles between Shinawatra-supported governments and conservative, royalist military factions in Thailand.
Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father, was recently cleared of a charge of insulting the country’s powerful monarchy but faces another court case over his stay in a hospital suite instead of prison.
As Thailand navigates this uncertain period, analysts predict that the country’s economic challenges will continue to mount. “There is no obvious successor to Paetongtarn, and no clear coalition configuration that appears stable enough to govern effectively in the face of mounting challenges—not least the economic uncertainty tied to Thailand’s recent trade deal with the United States and the unresolved border conflict with Cambodia,” Napon said.