BANGKOK– Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office for an ethics violation, further shaking up Thai politics after ordering the dissolution of the main opposition party a week earlier.

The 5-4 ruling removed Srettha from office with immediate effect. The case concerned his appointment of a cabinet member who was in prison in connection with an alleged bribery attempt.

The cabinet will remain in office in a caretaker capacity until parliament approves a new prime minister. The vote is scheduled for Friday, but there is no deadline for the replacement to be filled. The caretaker cabinet could also dissolve parliament and call new elections.

Srettha said he respected the verdict and had always tried to act ethically during his tenure, which lasted less than a year. “I am sorry that I am seen as an unethical prime minister, but I want to stress that in my opinion I am not like that,” he said.

Phumtham Wechayachai of Srettha’s Pheu Thai Party, who served as his first deputy prime minister and minister of trade, is set to become acting prime minister.

Last week, the Constitutional Court dissolved the progressive Move Forward Party, which won last year’s parliamentary elections, saying the party had violated the constitution by proposing an amendment to a law against defamation of the country’s royal family. The party has already reformed itself as a people’s party.

The petition against Srettha was initiated by former members of the military-appointed Senate who had refused to support Move Forward’s prime ministerial candidate when the party tried to form a government after its election victory. This was seen as a move to favour a pro-military political party in his coalition government.

Thailand’s courts, especially the Constitutional Court, are seen as a bulwark of the country’s royalist establishment, which uses them and nominally independent state bodies such as the Election Commission to paralyze or overthrow political opponents.

The United Nations deputy spokesman echoed a statement by the UN human rights office, which last week expressed regret over the dissolution of the Move Forward Party, calling it a “setback for pluralism and democracy in Thailand.” Farhan Haq said the court “recommends that due process be followed” in light of the recent decision to dismiss the prime minister.

The Constitutional Court’s rulings are “two judicial coups” that “violate international standards and override the usual checks and balances in a democratic system,” said Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

“It shows that Thailand is not a democracy at present and that the 2017 constitution gives unbalanced power to the judiciary and independent organisations,” he said, referring to Thailand’s current constitution, which was promoted by the military government that seized power in a coup in 2014.

Srettha became prime minister last August despite his Pheu Thai party coming second in the general election. After Move Forward was denied power by the Senate, whose term ended in May, Pheu Thai – then Move Forward’s largest coalition partner – excluded it from the coalition and joined forces with parties close to the previous military government to choose a new prime minister.

In electing a new prime minister, parliament can choose from candidates nominated for the post by major political parties over the past year. The Pheu Thai Party has two candidates, including Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Another favorite would be Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, which came third in the election. Anutin, currently deputy prime minister and home minister, is a power broker in the vote-rich northeast whose family owns a major construction company. He served in both a military-backed government and the civilian government that replaced it.

Two former senior military officers – Prayuth Chan-ocha, who served as prime minister for nine years after the 2014 coup, and Prawit Wongsuwan, one of Prayuth’s deputy prime ministers – would also be in the running.

Srettha had appointed Pichit Chuenban in a cabinet reshuffle in April. Pichit, who was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court in 2008 after allegedly trying to bribe a judge in a case involving Thaksin with 2 million baht ($55,000) in a shopping bag, resigned from his post weeks later as controversy over the incident flared up again.

The court said that although Pichit had already served his prison sentence, his conduct – the Supreme Court ruled – was dishonest, while Srettha, as prime minister, was solely responsible for vetting his cabinet nominations. It said Srettha knew about Pichit’s past but nominated him anyway, which was a violation of the Constitution’s ethical principles.

Srettha, 62, was a property manager before entering politics. He placed great emphasis on opening up Thailand after nearly a decade under military-backed rule, frequently travelling abroad for trade negotiations. His party pushed through a populist plan for a 10,000 baht ($286) handout policy to stimulate the economy. His government also promoted Thai cultural products through a “soft power” agency and the vital tourism sector by easing entry requirements and other measures.

Srettha, who sought to project the image of a strong chief executive, was seen by critics as an agent of Thaksin, who returned from self-imposed exile in August last year. According to his critics, a deal with the government was crucial to Srettha’s rise to the prime ministership.

___

Associated Press writers Napat Kongsawad in Bangkok and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.