Thailand’s Parliament is dissolved for new elections early next year : NPR

BANGKOK — Thailand's parliament was dissolved Friday to hold new elections early next year as the country locked in a deadly battle with Cambodia.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the House of Representatives after receiving the approval of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose approval took effect on Friday after it was published in the Royal Gazette.

Anutin signaled the move with a Facebook post late Thursday that said: “I would like to return power to the people.”

Elections are due to take place 45–60 days after royal approval. During this period, Anutin will head an interim government with limited powers, which will not be able to approve a new budget.

The move comes at a sensitive political moment as Thailand is locked in a large-scale fight with Cambodia over a long-running border dispute.

Anutin has been prime minister only since September.

Anutin was prime minister for just three months, succeeding Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who served in the post for just a year before losing his post in a scandal that erupted from a previous round of border tensions.

Anutin won the September parliamentary vote with the support of the main opposition People's Party in exchange for a promise to dissolve parliament within four months and organize a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly.

The party, which has a progressive platform, has long pushed for changes to the constitution imposed during the military government, saying it wants to make it more democratic.

The issue of constitutional changes appears to have prompted the dissolution after the People's Party prepared to call a vote of no confidence on Thursday. The threat comes after lawmakers from Anuthin Bhumjaithai's party voted in favor of a constitutional amendment bill that the opposition party said was contrary to the spirit of the agreement they reached in September.

The People's Party holds the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives and is considered Bhumjaithai's main rival. As news of the party's impending dissolution spread late Thursday, its leaders expressed hope that Anutin would still honor the agreement to hold a constitutional referendum.

Anutin served in the former Paetontarn government but resigned from her posts and withdrew her party from its coalition government after she faced controversy during a phone call with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen in June.

Patongtarn, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was removed from office ahead of the July fighting after being found guilty of ethics violations over a politically damaging call.

Warring sides await calls with Trump

Now that Thailand is once again engaged in heavy fighting against Cambodia, Anutin has taken an aggressive military stance to appeal to nationalist public sentiment and has declared that Thailand will continue to fight until its sovereignty and security are guaranteed.

After five days of border fighting in July, US President Donald Trump pushed both countries to agree to a ceasefire by threatening to revoke their trade privileges.

Trump again vowed to make peace between them after widespread fighting flared up again this week. If he wields the cudgel of high tariffs on Thai exports if Thailand fails to comply with his peacekeeping efforts, it could cause serious damage to its already sluggish economy.

Trump said twice this week that he expected to speak by phone with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, expressing confidence that he would persuade them to stop fighting.

Anutin on Friday confirmed he was scheduled to meet with Trump on Friday evening and said he would update him on the latest situation along the border.

As of Thursday, nearly two dozen people were reported killed in this week's fighting and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes on both sides. The Thai military estimates 165 Cambodian soldiers were killed, although Phnom Penh has not officially announced the number.

Thailand's leader could benefit from an aggressive stance

“Anutin has taken advantage of the renewed border tensions with Cambodia to present himself as a leader willing to take a nationalist and hard-line stance in defending Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” commented Napon Jatusripitak, director of the Center for Politics and Geopolitics of Thailand's Future, a think tank in Bangkok.

“This new narrative has, at least for now, eclipsed criticism of his handling of the southern Thailand floods and muted scrutiny of lingering questions about his potential involvement in fraud networks,” said Napon, who is also a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Puravich Watanasukh, a political scientist at Bangkok's Thammasat University, said Anutin Bhumjaithai's party's credibility had deteriorated in recent weeks due to floods in the country's south that killed more than 160 people, as well as his government's mishandling of major fraud scandals that have tarnished some officials and figures in the Thai business community.

“However, the recent clash between Thailand and Cambodia has provided an opportunity for Anutin to reinvent himself as a defender of national sovereignty, potentially boosting his popularity,” Puravich told The Associated Press in an email interview. “Dissolving the House at this time will allow Bhumjaithai to benefit from these changing sentiments.