Thailand dissolves parliament amid continued skirmishes with Cambodia

Thailand’s parliament was dissolved on Friday for new elections set to be held early next year as the country continues its cross-border skirmishes with Cambodia.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the House of Representatives – the parliament’s lower house – after obtaining approval from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, whose endorsement came into effect on Friday with its publication in the Royal Gazette.

Anutin had signalled the move with a Facebook post late Thursday, saying, “I’d like to return power to the people.”

By law, the election must be held 45 to 60 days after the royal endorsement, a period during which Anutin will continue to head the government in a caretaker capacity, with limited powers that cannot approve a new budget.

The move comes at a tricky political moment, as Thailand is engaged in large-scale combat with Cambodia over long-disputed border claims. More than two dozen people were reported killed in fighting this week, while hundreds of thousands were forcibly displaced on both sides.

Anutin had only held the Thai premiership for around three months, succeeding Paetongtarn Shinawatra who served only a year in office.

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

The People’s Party, which runs on a progressive platform, has long sought changes to the constitution, imposed during a military government, saying that it wants to make it more democratic.

The issue of constitutional change appeared to trigger the dissolution, after the party prepared to call a no-confidence vote against Anutin on Thursday.

That threat came after lawmakers from Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party voted in favour of a bill to amend the constitution, a move the opposition party opposed, citing that it runs counter to the spirit of the agreement they had reached in September.

The People's Party holds the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives and is seen as the primary challenger to Bhumjaithai.

As news of the pending dissolution circulated late on Thursday, its leaders said they hoped Anutin would still honour the agreement to arrange a constitutional referendum.

Anutin had served in Paetongtarn’s former government but resigned from his post and withdrew his party from her coalition government in June in the wake of a political scandal related to border tensions with Cambodia.

Paetongtarn, daughter of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was suspended from office in early July after being found guilty of ethics violations over a politically compromising phone call with Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen ahead of July’s armed conflict.

With Thailand now again engaged in heavy combat against Cambodia, Anutin has embraced an aggressive military posture appealing to nationalistic public sentiment and has said Thailand will keep fighting until its sovereignty and safety are guaranteed.

After five days of cross-border fighting in July, US President Donald Trump pushed the two countries to agree on a ceasefire by threatening to withhold trade privileges.

Trump has vowed again to make peace between them after widespread fighting flared up again this week.