Thailand’s acting PM moves to dissolve parliament amid leadership bid

Move comes days aft Thai tribunal removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office.

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has submitted a petition to dissolve parliament aft the largest absorption enactment backed a rival campaigner to pb the state pursuing the caller Thai tribunal determination to remove Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office.

The “house dissolution decree”, submitted connected Wednesday by the ruling Pheu Thai party, is present awaiting royal approval, according to enactment secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong.

The determination to dissolve parliament came swiftly aft the People’s Party, a large absorption enactment successful Thailand’s parliament, said it would backmost a Pheu Thai rival, the Bhumjaithai Party, to signifier the adjacent government.

Pheu Thai had raced to enactment up enactment for its fragile conjugation authorities with a slender bulk pursuing the removal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn.

People’s Party person Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told reporters connected Wednesday that his party’s 143 lawmakers had “agreed to support” Bhumjaithai person Anutin Charnvirakul, a blimpish concern tycoon, to service arsenic the adjacent premier minister, apt giving him bulk enactment successful parliament.

Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai Party’s person and premier ministerial candidate, leaves aft a quality league astatine Thailand’s parliament, successful Bangkok, connected September 3, 2025 [Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters]

Natthaphong said his party’s enactment for Anutin was conditional connected parliament being dissolved and for caller elections to beryllium held wrong 4 months, “so that powerfulness tin beryllium returned to the radical arsenic soon arsenic possible”.

He said his enactment would backmost Bhumjaithai to forestall the instrumentality of a Pheu Thai-led conjugation authorities that helium said was not acceptable to regularisation again.

A parliamentary ballot connected a caller premier curate could instrumentality spot arsenic soon arsenic Friday, helium added.

Anutin told reporters that helium has the enactment of 146 lawmakers successful his bid to go premier minister, and that helium was committed to the conditions laid retired by the People’s Party for its support.

Heir to a operation engineering fortune, Anutin antecedently served arsenic lawman premier minister, interior curate and wellness minister, successful 2022 delivering connected a committedness to legalise recreational cannabis.

Paetongtarn was removed arsenic premier curate connected Friday by Thailand’s Constitutional Court aft it recovered she had breached ethical standards stemming from a arguable telephone telephone with Cambodia’s erstwhile Prime Minister Hun Sen, who soon afterwards leaked an audio signaling of their call.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies