Thai Prime Minister Plans Parliament Dissolution Amid Ongoing Cambodia Border Tensions

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Key Points

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has requested to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
The move follows a disagreement with the opposition People’s Party, which threatened a no-confidence motion.
The dissolution will accelerate the election timeline, bringing polls earlier than the expected March–April window.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced that he is “returning power to the people”, moving to dissolve parliament and clear the way for elections earlier than previously anticipated.

Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat told Reuters the move followed a disagreement with the largest grouping in parliament, the opposition People’s Party.

“This happened because we can’t go forward in parliament,” he told Reuters.

The ongoing political upheaval coincides with the fourth day of a severe border clash between Thailand and Cambodia, which has resulted in at least 20 fatalities and nearly 200 injuries.

Anutin told reporters on Wednesday that dissolving parliament would not impact Thailand’s military operations along the frontier, where clashes have broken out at more than a dozen locations, some involving exchanges of heavy artillery.

“I am returning power to the people,” Anutin declared on social media late Thursday.

He is Thailand’s third prime minister since August 2023, and political instability is taking a toll on Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which is grappling with US tariffs, high household debt and weak consumption.

Should the king approve the prime minister’s request to dissolve parliament, the Thai constitution mandates that elections must be conducted within 45 to 60 days.

Anutin ascended to power by withdrawing his Bhumjaithai party from an existing ruling coalition and garnering support from the People’s Party. This alliance was contingent upon several conditions, including holding a referendum on constitutional amendments, as part of their agreement to back him.

In September, Anutin had said that he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, with a general election to be held in March or early April, but this move would accelerate that timeline.

Anutin took power after pulling his Bhumjaithai party out of a ruling coalition and securing the backing of the People’s Party, which put forward a number of demands — including a referendum on constitutional amendments — as part of a deal to support him.

“When the People’s Party couldn’t get what they want, they said they will submit a no-confidence motion and asked the PM to dissolve parliament immediately,” Siripong said.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, told reporters late on Thursday that the Bhumjaithai party did not follow the terms of their agreement.

“We have tried to use the voice of the opposition to push forward amending the constitution,” he said.