Thailand’s parliament will convene a special session on Friday, August 16, to select a new prime minister, the parliament secretary announced in an urgent notice to all members of parliament on Thursday.
This comes after the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s term had ended, along with his entire cabinet, due to a constitutional violation in the appointment of a minister.
The court’s decision, reached by a 5-4 vote, found that Srettha had violated the constitution in nominating Pichit Chuenban as a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.
A caretaker cabinet meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time on Thursday at Government House. Acting Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is expected to chair the meeting as the acting prime minister.
Sources say the meeting will likely focus on issuing appointment orders and interim arrangements to ensure continued government operations until a new prime minister is selected.
Phumtham has reportedly cut short an official visit to Kazakhstan and is due to arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport around 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The parliament’s swift action to schedule a vote for a new prime minister underscores the urgency to restore political stability in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. (TNA)
