Thailand’s embattled Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra faced the risk of losing her parliamentary majority on Friday, as a key coalition partner appeared poised to demand her resignation and senators initiated a legal move to oust her from office.
Paetongtarn, the politically inexperienced daughter of divisive tycoon and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is fighting fires on multiple fronts, struggling to breathe life into a stagnant economy facing steep U.S. tariffs and under pressure to take a tougher stand on a territorial row with Cambodia that has seen their troops mobilise at the border.
UTN Demands Paetongtarn’s Resignation
The United Thai Nation party, the second-largest partner in her alliance, will demand Paetongtarn, 38, step down as a condition for it to remain in the Pheu Thai Party-led coalition, two UTN sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
“If she doesn’t resign, the party would leave the government,” one source said. “We want the party leader to tell the PM as a courtesy.”
Though Paetongtarn received a boost on Friday with another coalition partner, the Democrat Party, pledging its support, Thailand’s youngest premier is still in an untenable position, with her majority hinging on UTN staying in the alliance following Wednesday’s exit by the larger Bhumjaithai Party.
It is unclear when UTN will announce its position, and a spokesperson said the party would wait for its leader to inform the prime minister of its decision.
Reflecting concerns in financial markets, the Thai baht weakened for a fifth consecutive session on Friday and was on course to log its worst week in four months.
Tumultuous Past
Paetongtarn’s battle to stay in power demonstrates the declining strength of Pheu Thai, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra family that has dominated Thai elections since 2001, enduring military coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments and prime ministers.
But Paetongtarn is facing domestic anger and the prospect of an internal revolt over Wednesday’s embarrassing leak of a phone call between her and Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen – once seen as a Shinawatra family ally – which her critics say posed a threat to Thailand’s sovereignty and integrity.
During the conversation, Paetongtarn called for a peaceful resolution of the border dispute and disparaged an outspoken Thai army general who she said “just wants to look cool”, a red line in a country where the military has a high profile and significant political clout.
Thai Government Under Pressure
Pressure mounted on Friday from outside her government, with 69 senators petitioning both the Constitutional Court and an anti-graft agency over the phone conversation leak, seeking a determination and an investigation, respectively, into whether Paetongtarn breached leadership moral standards.
Activists also met on Friday to schedule a major protest in Bangkok starting on June 28 to demand Paetongtarn resigns, among them groups with a history of crippling rallies against Shinawatra administrations.
Paetongtarn has not commented on the turmoil in her government and has tried to present a united front on the Cambodia issue, appearing on Thursday alongside military chiefs and vowing to defend sovereignty.
The premier visited military units at the Cambodia border on Friday, where she handed out food packages to soldiers and was given a tour by Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, the regional commander whom she criticised in the leaked call.
Paetongtarn’s options for staying in power are limited unless her allies can succeed in behind-the-scenes horse-trading.
A snap election could damage Pheu Thai and play into the hands of the progressive opposition People’s Party, the largest force in parliament.
Two Pheu Thai sources told Reuters the party is confident Paetongtarn can avoid resigning or dissolving parliament, and her government is considering a major cabinet reshuffle to fill vacant positions.
(With inputs from Reuters)
