Court Ruling Reinforces Thailand’s Coup Culture and Augurs More Turmoil

Thailand’s political deadlock has shifted from the streets of Bangkok to the courts. It is there that the real battle is now being played out.

A March 21 ruling by the Constitutional Court invalidating the result of the country’s Feb. 2 election most vividly highlighted the change of venue. The court, with a vote of 6-3, threw the current turmoil onto a new trajectory. When the court made a similar ruling in 2006, annulling an election result, the military swooped in and installed a new, unelected government