CHANGES HEAD, DECK, AND LEDE; ADDS PM ELECTION ON FRIDAY
By Saadet Gokce and Islamuddin Sajid
ISTANBUL (AA) - Thailand's lawmakers will elect a new prime minister on Friday to succeed former Premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from office last week, House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha announced on Wednesday.
Matha’s announcement comes after acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayacha submitted a royal decree to dissolve parliament in order to hold snap elections, according to the Thai PBS.
Phumtham said he made the decision due to rising political instability and economic challenges, warning that the People's Party's decision to support Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister while remaining in opposition could result in a weak minority government.
"In such an unstable political environment, combined with ongoing economic challenges, restoring confidence in and about the country is essential," he said.
Phumtham's request was reportedly denied, and his draft decree was returned to the Cabinet Secretariat as parliament prepares to elect a new prime minister, according to the media outlet.
The decree came after opposition party leader Charnvirakul announced that he had signed an agreement with the People's Party to support his candidacy for prime minister.
On Tuesday, Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra mounted a legal challenge to the top court on an ethics violation case that led to her removal from the top elected post in the Southeast Asian nation.
She was ousted after Thailand’s top court ruled her phone call with Cambodian leader Hun Sen -- in which she criticized the military’s 2nd Army Region commander amid border tensions -- violated ethical standards of her office.
The court had already suspended her from duty last month while deliberating the case.
The dismissal has caused turbulence for Thailand’s political establishment, which has seen repeated clashes between elected leaders and the judiciary since the ouster of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006.