BANGKOK — Thailand’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been dismissed as prime minister by the Constitutional Court for a violation of ethics after only a year in power, plunging the country and its stuttering economy into more uncertainty.

What happens next?

Deputy premier Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is chosen by parliament, on a date to be decided by the house speaker. 

The constitution does not specify a time-frame for when the lower house must convene. The court ruling opens the door to a flurry of dealmaking and horse-trading between parties and other power-brokers, with the central figure almost certain to be Paetongtarn’s influential father and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, 76, the billionaire founder of her Pheu Thai party. With many competing interests, the process could take time.

The stakes are high, with the ruling coalition holding a razor-thin majority of just seven seats, meaning any shifts in allegiance away from the alliance could be costly for Pheu Thai and the Shinawatra political dynasty.

Who are the PM candidates? 

There are five remaining eligible candidates from those declared prior to the 2023 election. Pheu Thai had three initially, but is now left with only one, Chaikasem Nitisiri, 77, a former justice minister and attorney general who has kept a low profile, but has said he is ready to step up. 

Another possibility is Anutin Charnvirakul, 58, an ambitious former interior minister and deputy premier whose Bhumjaithai party quit Paetongtarn’s coalition in June. 

Also eligible are current Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, former deputy prime minister Jurin Laksanawisit, and ex-premier Prayuth Chan-ocha, a general who led a 2014 coup against the last Pheu Thai government. Prayuth, 71, is retired from politics and is currently a royal adviser.