Thailand moved toward a possible snap election as early as February after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul secured royal approval to dissolve parliament, averting a looming no-confidence vote amid escalating border tensions with Cambodia.
The election, due within 45 to 60 days, raises the spectre of even more turmoil in Thailand, where coups and court rulings over two decades have brought down elected governments in an intractable power struggle of elites and progressive forces.
Anutin’s move comes as the military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia entered its fifth day, with at least 20 killed, more than 260 wounded and hundreds of thousands displaced.
The Thai premier said he had a call scheduled late on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump, who intervened in July to broker a fragile truce the last time fighting erupted.
Cycle Of Political Drama
On Thursday, Anutin said he was “returning power to the people” and King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved his petition for a general election within hours, the royal gazette showed, paving the way for a ballot as soon as February.
Less than 100 days after Anutin Charnvirakul took charge as head of a minority government, turmoil erupted with the opposition People’s Party poised to push a no-confidence vote.
Anutin rose to power through a deal with the People’s Party to support constitutional amendments and dissolve parliament in January. But Thursday’s joint sitting descended into chaos, as the opposition accused Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party of breaking that pact.
A government spokesperson said a no-confidence vote had been expected.
Electoral Challenge for Anutin
Thailand’s third prime minister in two years, Anutin faces an uphill struggle to be re-elected, with opinion polls consistently showing the liberal opposition to be the most popular party.
An astute political dealmaker who has negotiated key ministerial posts and a place for his party in numerous coalition governments, Anutin will need to drum up support in the countryside and among influential elites to forge new alliances and keep the People’s Party at bay.
A forerunner of the People’s Party won the 2023 election on an anti-establishment platform but was blocked from forming a government by lawmakers allied with the royalist military.
Anutin insisted he had honoured the pact with the opposition.
“We have to accept that we became a government thanks to the support from the People’s Party,” Anutin said.
“You voted for me to be the prime minister and are now saying you do not support me anymore, and ask me to dissolve parliament,” he added. “I just did what you asked.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
