Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved parliament after just three months in office, a royal decree published in the Royal Gazette showed, clearing the way for a general election amid renewed violence on the Cambodia border.
“The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House,” the decree said.
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The move came earlier than expected. Anutin had been widely anticipated to wait until after Christmas before sending voters back to the polls.
In a report cited by the Royal Gazette, Anutin said the administration’s minority status and fraught domestic political conditions meant the government “cannot continue administering state affairs continuously, efficiently, and with stability.”
“Therefore, the appropriate solution is to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a new general election,” the Gazette quoted the report as saying.
The dissolution lands as fighting has flared again along the Thailand-Cambodia border. Clashes have killed at least 20 people and displaced around 600,000, mostly in Thailand, according to information accompanying the decree. The renewed violence has compounded security pressures and humanitarian needs in frontier communities.
Anutin, leader of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, became prime minister in September after his predecessor was removed from office by a court over an ethics violation. His short tenure has been defined by the challenge of steering a minority government through a fragmented political landscape, and by the resurgence of cross-border tensions.
By dissolving the House of Representatives, Anutin resets the political calendar and puts Thailand on course for a nationwide vote. The decree did not specify a polling date, but the move formally initiates the process for a new general election.
The decision underscores the instability confronting Bangkok: a government without a parliamentary majority, public expectations for a path out of political deadlock, and a volatile security environment on the frontier. The coming vote will unfold against that backdrop, with the next administration facing immediate tests in restoring confidence at home and managing the humanitarian strain from the border clashes.
While the mechanics of the election will be determined through Thailand’s formal procedures, the decree makes clear the rationale for moving now: in the government’s view, the country requires a mandate strong enough to administer state affairs “continuously, efficiently, and with stability.”
For voters, the dissolution closes a brief chapter under Anutin’s minority government and opens a fast-moving campaign season likely to center on security, governance and the capacity to govern coherently in a period of heightened pressure.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
