Thai acting premier submits royal decree to dissolve parliament for snap polls

By Anadolu staff

Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Wednesday confirmed that he submitted a royal decree to dissolve parliament for snap polls.

Phumtham said he took the decision because of growing political instability and economic challenges, Thai Enquirer reported.

Phumtham said the People’s Party’s decision to support Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister while staying in opposition could lead to 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.

The latest move came after opposition party leader Charnvirakul said he signed an agreement with the People’s Party to support him for becoming the 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.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid.