12/12/2025, 06:3412/12/2025, 06:34
Political crisis in Thailand: During the ongoing border conflict with neighboring Cambodia, King Maha Vajiralongkorn announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives. The move was justified by “current national requirements, international relations, economic challenges, social stability and the need to enable the country to take a new political direction,” according to a statement in the official gazette.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had submitted the request for dissolution.Image: keystone
A few hours earlier, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who has only been in office since September, had submitted a request to dissolve the House of Representatives, which in Thailand is the more powerful of the two parliamentary chambers – the Senate only has a control function and cannot be dissolved. “I am returning power to the people,” Charnvirakul wrote on his Facebook account.
By law, new elections must now take place within the next 60 days. Until then, the Thai government will remain in office.
Political crisis at the wrong time
The timing of Thailand’s political crisis is precarious. The Southeast Asian country has been in a newly flared border conflict with Cambodia for several days. Both states accuse each other of first violating a ceasefire in the area along the approximately 800 kilometer long common border. The fighting has forced over 500,000 residents of the region to flee and cost over 20 people their lives, including several civilians. There were also hundreds injured as a result of the fighting. (dab/sda/dpa)