Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office on Friday for an ethics violation after only a year in power, dealing another crushing blow to the Shinawatra political dynasty that could usher in a new period of turmoil.

Paetongtarn, who was Thailand’s youngest prime minister, becomes the sixth premier from or backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary in a tumultuous two-decade battle for power between the country’s warring elites.

In its verdict, the court said Paetongtarn violated ethics in a leaked June telephone call, during which she appeared to kowtow to Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen when both countries were on the brink of an armed border conflict. Fighting erupted weeks later and lasted five days.

The decision paves the way for the election by parliament of a new prime minister, a process that could be drawn out, with Paetongtarn’s ruling Pheu Thai party losing bargaining power and facing a challenge to shore up a fragile alliance with a razor-thin majority.

In a 6-3 decision, the court said Paetongtarn had put her private interests before those of the nation and damaged the reputation of the country, causing a loss of public confidence.

“Due to a personal relationship that appeared aligned with Cambodia, the respondent was consistently willing to comply with or act in accordance with the wishes of the Cambodian side,” the court said in a statement.

The ruling brings a premature end to the premiership of the daughter and protégé of influential tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra. Paetongtarn, 39, was a political neophyte when she was thrust abruptly into the spotlight after the surprise dismissal of predecessor Srettha Thavisin by the same court a year ago.

Paetongtarn has apologised over the leaked call and said she was trying to avert a war.

Uncertainty ahead

She is the fifth premier in 17 years to be removed by the Constitutional Court, underlining its central role in an intractable power struggle between the elected governments of the Shinawatra clan and a nexus of powerful conservatives and royalist generals with far-reaching influence.

The focus will next shift to who will replace Paetongtarn, with Thaksin expected to be at the heart of a flurry of horse-trading between parties and other power-brokers to try to keep Pheu Thai in charge of the coalition.

Deputy premier Phumtham Wechayachai and the current cabinet will oversee the government in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is elected by the house, with no time limit on when that must take place.

There are five people eligible to become prime minister, with only one from Pheu Thai, 77-year-old Chaikasem Nitisiri, a former attorney general with limited cabinet experience, who has maintained a low profile in politics.

Others include former premier Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has retired from politics and led a military coup against the last Pheu Thai government in 2014, and Anutin Charnvirakul, a deputy premier before he withdrew his party from Paetongtarn’s coalition over the leaked phone call.

The ruling thrusts Thailand into more political uncertainty at a time of simmering public unease over stalled reforms and a stuttering economy expected by the central bank to grow just 2.3% this year.

Any Pheu Thai administration would be a coalition likely to have only a slender majority and could face frequent parliamentary challenges from an opposition with huge public support that is pushing for an early election.

“Appointing a new prime minister…will be difficult and may take considerable time,” said Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.

“It’s not easy for all parties to align their interests,” he said. “Pheu Thai will be at a disadvantage.”

A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in Radom, central Poland, and the pilot died, the army said on Thursday.

“A Polish Army pilot died in the crash of an F-16 aircraft -an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory,” Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X after arriving at the crash scene.

The General Command of the Armed Forces said that the accident involved an aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base near Poznan and that there were no injuries to any bystanders.

“Rescue operations were immediately initiated at the scene,” it said in a statement.

Footage obtained by Polish media showed the F-16 performing a barrel roll aerobatic manoeuvre, and then crashing in flames as it slid on the ground.

Local media said the aircraft crashed into the runway around 1730 GMT and damaged it, and the Radom Airshow planned for the weekend has been cancelled.

The chief of India’s Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, has urged Indian families to have three children each, warning of long-term risks linked to the country’s declining birth rates.

Despite being the world’s most populous nation with 1.46 billion people, India’s fertility rate has dropped below two children per woman, according to the UN Population Fund’s 2025 report, as the economy continues to grow.

Bhagwat, whose organization is the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, said the population must remain “controlled, yet sufficient.”

Speaking during a lecture marking the 100th anniversary of the RSS, he stressed that “in the national interest, every family should have three children and restrict themselves to that.”

His remarks highlight growing concern among nationalist leaders and some regional politicians over long-term demographic stability, economic capacity, and cultural identity.

Hardline Hindu groups have long raised alarms about higher birth rates among minority communities, particularly Muslims, though data shows that Muslim families in India are also having fewer children than in previous decades.

Bhagwat too said birth rates were declining across religious groups.

While the RSS officially describes itself as a cultural organisation promoting Hindu values, it wields enormous influence through its vast network of affiliates and millions of grassroots volunteers.

Many of Modi’s senior ministers, including the prime minister himself, are long-time members of the RSS.

Analysts say BJP’s policy priorities from cultural and education reform to citizenship laws frequently echo positions championed by the RSS, making the organisation one of the most powerful civil society groups in the world.

Bhagwat rejected criticism that the RSS was opposed to Muslims who make up about 14% of India’s population and other minorities saying the organisation viewed all of them as Indians.

“Our ancestors and culture are the same. Worship practices may differ, but our identity is one.

Changing religion does not change one’s community,” he said.

“Mutual trust must be built on all sides. Muslims must overcome the fear that joining hands with others will erase their religion.”