“Suthep’s importance has past and now the judiciary is guiding the royalists to eject Yingluck and Pheu Thai from office,” says Chambers. (The courts, military and royal court are generally perceived as elitist institutions that favor the establishment and so, by extension, the protesters.)
In addition, 308 Thai MPs, mainly members of Yingluck’s Pheu Thai party, have been indicted for attempting to alter the composition of the Senate, a move initiated after the Amnesty Bill was thrown out in November.
The Constitutional Court also ruled in January that a proposed amendment to article 190, which would have allowed the PM to sign foreign economic deals without legislative approval, was unconstitutional. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NAAC) has been asked to investigate, and may similarly indict every lawmaker who voted in favor of the amendment.
What’s more, the elections held on Feb. 2 may soon be annulled by the Constitutional Court, since Protesters besieged polling stations meant that a quorum of 95% of seats filled was not met.
“The players in this conflict do not seem to care about the rule of law,” says Chambers. “Thailand has been so divided since 2005 that each side seems to care more about venal interests than the welfare of the country.”
Yingluck’s position is certainly precarious, but she has weathered similar storms in the past. The 46-year-old is currently restricted to a wheelchair after injuring her left ankle. “Even though I have a torn ligament, I will continue doing my work,” she told reporters. Certainly, nobody should doubt her tenacity by now.
—with reporting by David Stout