As New Year approaches, the Bangkok Post takes the opportunity to select five political stories that attracted the most attention over the past 12 months.
PM dodges PTP ouster bid
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dodged a legal battle in the Constitutional Court when it tossed a petition seeking to remove him from the premiership.
The petition was submitted by the main opposition Pheu Thai Party (PTP) via House Speaker Chuan Leekpai following the no-confidence debate in February.
It involved Gen Prayut's use of his special powers under Section 44 back in April 2019 to streamline management of the Green Line electric train project after the transfer of property related to the Green Line's second extension from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand to City Hall.
The Pheu Thai Party claimed Gen Prayut's order amounted to intervention and undermined competition and in doing so the prime minister breached Sections 184 (2) and 186 of the constitution.
In the petition co-signed by 75 Pheu Thai MPs, the court was asked to rule if Gen Prayut's prime ministerial status should be terminated under Section 170 (5) of the constitution.
The court rejected the petition on the basis that Gen Prayut no longer held the prime minister's post under Section 264 of the charter when the petition was filed. According to the court, the petitioners were not authorised to lodge a petition with the court under Section 170 and Section 82 of the constitution, so it decided not to accept it for review.
It was not the Pheu Thai Party's first attempt to seek Gen Prayut's ouster from the post in the court.
Last year the party asked the House Speaker to forward to the court a petition for a ruling on Gen Prayut's "prolonged" stay at an army housing in the 1st Infantry Regiment in Bangkok, despite his retirement from the army in October 2014.
The army testified in Gen Prayut's favour, saying the former army chief was qualified to stay in the residence under army regulations. It was also a customary practice for the army to provide housing to personnel who has contributed to the country even after their retirement.
In December last year, the court cleared Gen Prayut of any wrongdoing over the army house controversy. A guilty ruling would have ended his premiership.
Co-leaders of now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee rise to their feet in the Constitutional Court, which earlier this month ordered them to relinquish their status as MPs after they were jailed by the Criminal Court this year for their role in the protests between 2013 and 2014. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill
Polls beckon after ruling
The Constitutional Court this month decided five co-leaders of the now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) were no longer MPs.
Chumpol Julsai, a Democrat Party MP for Chumphon; Issara Somchai, a Democrat Party list MP; Thaworn Senneam, a Democrat MP for Songkhla; Buddhipongse Punnakanta, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) list MP; and Nataphol Teepsuwan, also a PPRP list MP, were ruled by the court to have lost their MP statuses on Dec 7.
Back in February, the Criminal Court ordered a number of people, including the five, to be jailed for engineering the PDRC protests from October 2013 to May 2014.
The protests ended when the National Council for Peace and Order staged a coup on May 22, 2014, that ousted the Pheu Thai Party-led administration.
After the Criminal Court's ruling was passed, Mr Thaworn quit as deputy transport minister, Mr Buddhipongse as digital economy and society minister and Mr Nataphol as education minister.
They were given bail although it had yet to be determined if they can still keep their status as MPs.
The Election Commission (EC) insisted the politicians must relinquish their MP status as well. The agency referred to a law that bars a person convicted of criminal charges and facing a jail term from being an MP. The EC submitted the case to the Constitutional Court which has the authority to rule on the matter.
The court said the PDRC co-leaders must give up their MP seats despite having secured an appeal. Section 98 (6) of the charter makes no mention of a phrase allowing them to remain as MPs until the Criminal Court ruling is made final, namely the end of the appeal process, according to the EC.
The five politicians' MP status technically expired on April 7, the day they were ordered by the court to stop performing their duties as cabinet ministers.
Even though the five politicians had the right under the charter to stage the protests, they were liable for criminal actions that resulted from the protests, according to the charter court.
With the Dec 7 decision, constituency seats were declared vacant in Chumphon's Constituency 1 and Songkhla's Constituency 6. By-elections are being held in those constituencies while the list MP slots will be filled by the next people on the list of the respective parties.
Thamanat Prompow, Palang Pracharath Party secretary-general, speaks in parliament. He was accused of plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Chanat Katanyu
Fraternal ties under strain
The government faced two no-confidence motions this year with the aftermath of the latter thought to have shattered fraternal ties between the government's three most powerful figures.
The censure debates, the first in February and the second in early September, targeted high-profile ministers. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was a prime target of both debates as defeating him would sink the government.
But it was the voting in the second censure debate that revealed a plot to overthrow Gen Prayut, who had the second lowest votes of confidence and took home the highest no-confidence scores.
The votes peeved Gen Prayut, who told his close aides someone had double-crossed him and that they should look into it, said a source.
In the days leading up to the debate, MPs belonging to a faction in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party turned against Gen Prayut, raising fears the premier would get enough no-confidence votes to force him out of office.
All eyes were fixed on the PPRP secretary-general, Thamanat Prompow, who was accused of orchestrating the scheme to unseat Gen Prayut. He denied this.
His faction was said to be unhappy with Gen Prayut and Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda for being aloof from party members. Gen Prayut, Gen Prawit and Gen Anupong are brothers-in-arms who found their strong bonds had been put to the test.
On Sept 6, Capt Thamanat, who also doubled as deputy agriculture minister, went to Deputy Prime Minister and PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon's office to tender his resignation as party secretary-general.
Gen Prawit talked Capt Thamanat out of quitting and told him "everything has been cleared up".
However, relations between Gen Prayut and Capt Thamanat was strained and they have not been on speaking terms.
On Sept 7, Capt Thamanat was thought to be planning to announce his resignation as deputy agriculture minister at a cabinet meeting over the fallout with the premier.
Then on Sept 9, a Royal Gazette announcement was released declaring the removal of Capt Thamanat as deputy agriculture minister and Narumon Pinyosinwat as deputy labour minister. Ms Narumon was also believed to be connected to the plot.
Despite the loss of their cabinet portfolios, Capt Thamanat and Ms Narumon kept their executive posts in the ruling party. Their staying put has pitted Gen Prayut against Gen Prawit for allowing the two to remain active in the PPRP and a thorn in the premier's side.
From left, Panupong 'Mike' Jadnok, Parit 'Penguin' Chiwarak, Panusaya 'Rung' Sithijirawattanakul and Arnon Nampha arrive at Chana Songkhram police station in November last year to hear a lese majeste charge concerning their role in a rally at Sanam Luang two months earlier. Apichart Jinakul
MFP feels heat from protest
The Constitutional Court's ruling against three key anti-government protesters could spell trouble for the Move Forward Party (MFP) which stands accused of supporting the protest movement.
The Nov 10 ruling was in response to a petition by Natthaporn Toprayoon, a lawyer and former adviser to the Chief Ombudsman, who asked the court to consider whether the actions of lawyer Arnon Nampa, Panupong Jadnok and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul violated Section 49 of the constitution.
The section prohibits people from exercising their rights and freedom to overthrow the democratic system with the King as head of state.
The majority of judges ruled the actions of the trio had covert intentions to undermine and overthrow the system of governance and ordered them and their supporters to stop such activities.
The protest leaders took part in a rally at Thammasat University's Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani's Khlong Luang district on Aug 10 last year. At the rally, Ms Panusaya read out a set of 10 demands including reform of the monarchy.
Mr Natthaporn said the court's ruling will provide the basis for a move to seek the dissolution of the MFP.
He said several MFP lawmakers were spotted at the anti-government demonstrations and some used their MP status to seek bail for the release of protesters.
In February this year, Mr Natthaporn also filed a petition with the Election Commission (EC) seeking the dissolution of the MFP.
In his petition, he accuses the MFP of violating the Political Party Act by engaging in actions deemed hostile to a democracy with the King as head of state.
He believes the MFP lawmakers have encouraged the protesters by using their position as MPs to bail them out.
Moreover, the MFP has also supported a bill seeking to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, he said.
Mr Natthaporn has asked the EC to use the court's ruling as a basis for proceeding with the dissolution case.
According to the EC, an inquiry panel set up by the poll agency is looking into the case.
Chaithawat Tulathon, the MFP's secretary-general, denied the allegations, saying the move seeking the party's dissolution is politically motivated.
Paethongtan Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, addresses Pheu Thai's annual assembly in Khon Kaen. Pheu Thai Party
Party pitches to the young
The opposition Pheu Thai Party has recently rebranded itself as a political party for the new generation, by introducing Paethongtan Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to its supporters.
And even though Ms Paethongtan -- who officially joined the party on Oct 28 at an annual assembly as the party's chief adviser on public participation and innovations -- insisted she wasn't a politician just yet, she hinted that her political career will be decided in the near future.
A party source, however, said the timing was quite right to tell the party's supporters, in the Northeast in particular, that Ms Paethongtan is ready to be the party's prime ministerial candidate.
She is a representative of the new generation and a member of the Shinawatras, a selling point which the party is using to draw support from Thaksin's supporters in the Northeast, the party's political stronghold.
The party's annual assembly was held in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.
With Thaksin's daughter joining the party, the party will find it easier to woo votes in the next election.
Ms Paethongtan said she aims to bridge the gaps between different generations.
She said she has gained experience through observing how her father worked, starting when she was eight years old when her father was serving as foreign affairs minister.
She said she even had first-hand experience in helping her father out with his election campaigns when he founded the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party.
Along with the introduction of Ms Paetongtan, Pheu Thai on the same occasion chose its new leader, Cholnan Srikaew, who has vowed to revamp the party with the help of the new generation.