Srettha, 62, who had served as prime minister for less than a year, becomes the third leader in 16 years to be ousted by this court. An interim leader will take over until Thailand’s parliament meets to elect a new prime minister.
At a press conference following the ruling, Mr. Srettha expressed confidence in his integrity, saying, “I’m confident in my honesty… I feel sorry, but I’m not saying I disagree with the ruling.” The court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Srettha’s dismissal is the latest in a series of Thai political figures brought down by the Constitutional Court, which many see as wielding disproportionate power.
In a political environment where bribery is common and ministers with more serious convictions have been allowed to serve, this ruling is widely viewed as politically motivated, although it’s unclear who was behind the push.
In May, the court accepted a petition from around 40 senators calling for the removal of the prime minister due to his appointment of Pichit Chuenban, a lawyer previously sentenced to six months in jail for attempted bribery.
On Wednesday, five of the nine judges ruled that Mr. Srettha had indeed violated the ethics of his office by appointing Pichit, despite the lawyer resigning after just 19 days.
The selection of a new prime minister will likely involve intense negotiations, all while Thailand grapples with reviving its struggling economy.
Hopes that the country was now putting the political turmoil, including two military coups that have shaken it for the past two decades, have proved premature.
Mr Srettha became prime minister only last August, ending nine years of military-dominated governments in Thailand.
His appointment too was the result of a political bargain that froze out the young, reformist Move Forward party, which had won the most seats and votes in last year’s general election.
It was a stunning victory that raised hopes for a fresh start for Thailand but Move Forward was blocked from forming the government by the military-appointed senate.
The election’s second-biggest winner Pheu Thai then struck a deal with other conservative parties to form a ruling coalition without Move Forward – and Mr Srettha found himself at the helm.
Last week, the constitutional court dissolved the Move Forward party for making unconstitutional campaign promises and banned 11 party leaders from politics for 10 years.
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