Last year, the Constitutional Court banned Pita from politics for 10 years and dissolved Moved Forward because of its campaign pledge to water down harsh lese-majesty laws that criminalise insulting the monarchy.
Professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun, from the Centre for South-East Asian Studies at Kyoto University, said Anutin as prime minister could serve as a proxy for the elite royalist-military establishment that held enormous behind-the-scenes power in Thai politics.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra waves as she leaves Government House in Bangkok after being dismissed as prime minister last Friday.Credit: AP
He said it was wise to be sceptical about Anutin’s pledge for the prompt dissolution of parliament.
“If you asked the People’s Party, they will say they believe it,” he said. “But I mean, for Anutin and for the elite to have invested so much into pushing him to this position, I don’t think they want to invest for four months.”
Anutin is best known for successfully lobbying for the decriminalisation of cannabis, a policy that is now being more strictly regulated for medical purposes. He also played a high-profile role as health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was accused of tardiness in obtaining adequate vaccine supplies to fight the virus.
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The latest round of political turmoil in Thailand began more than two months ago when the Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn, the daughter of Thaksin, after a June phone conversation between her and Cambodia’s de facto leader, Hun Sen, was leaked.
The two nations were on the brink of armed conflict, and her supposedly obsequious language and tone upset many Thais, presenting her political enemies with an opportunity to remove her.
Anutin promptly withdrew his party from her coalition, leaving Pheu Thai with a razor-thin margin.
The court formally sacked Paetongtarn on August 29 for ethical breaches related to the phone call. She was in the job for about a year, having taken over from Srettha Thavisin when he was dismissed by the same court, which ruled he had engaged in unethical behaviour.
with AP
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