Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra Removed from Office Over Leaked Phone Call

"...plunges the kingdom into fresh political turmoil..."

"...struck a nerve in Thailand..."

"...Nationalist fervor was already running high..."

"...opponents accused her of compromising the country’s national interests..."

"...represents another wave on the turbulent rapids of Thai politics..."

"...a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites..."

"...survived a lese majeste case against him that could have seen him jailed for up to 15 years..."

"...dozens of lawmakers have faced bans, parties have been dissolved and prime ministers have been overthrown in coups or by court decisions..."

"...the judiciary playing a central role in the ongoing battle for power..."

"...the kingdom has seen two prime ministers removed from office and an election-winning party dissolved..."

"...former army commander Prayut Chan-o-cha ruled as prime minister for nine years after seizing power in a coup in 2014..."

"...the latest in her family to be dismissed as premier..."

"...political parties allied to Thaksin have repeatedly won elections but struggled to hold on to power..."

"...her father went into self-imposed exile in 2006 for more than 15 years to escape corruption charges after the military toppled his government..."

"...her uncle Somchai Wongsawat was briefly prime minister in 2008 but was removed in a court ruling..."

"...came to power after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was removed from office in a shock court ruling last year by the same Constitutional Court..."

"...the uneasy coalition was forged to prevent the progressive Move Forward Party, which won the most votes, from taking office after it promised deep-seated reforms to Thai ruling institutions, including the monarchy..."

"...Thaksin — who continued to play an outsized role in politics behind the scenes despite his absence — was allowed to return to his home country..."

"...could spell trouble for the powerful Shinawatra family’s political fortunes..."

"...the clan have dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years..."

"...the government is now on shaky ground..."

"...Internal conflict in the ruling coalition and the delayed rollout of flagship policies has dented its ability to govern at a time when the economy is faltering..."

"...plummeted the party’s already declining popularity..."

"...raises the prospect of new elections, with Pheu Thai in a much weaker position..."

"...the establishment would still favor the Thaksin-backed party as it would act as a firewall against the main opposition People’s Party, which is seen as a major disrupter to the Thai establishment with its reformist agenda and high approval ratings..."