Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday temporarily suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pending a ruling on a case brought against her following the leak of a controversial phone call she had with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen. The Bangkok Post reported that the nine judges unanimously voted to accept the petition filed by 36 members of the Senate against Shinawatra's continued tenure, while seven judges voted in favor of suspending her from her duties temporarily, with two voting against. The Thai prime minister faces charges of incompetence and lack of integrity under paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 160 of the Thai Constitution. The complaint also accuses her of dishonesty and gross violation of ethical standards. Deputy Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will take over as acting prime minister in light of the court's decision, while Shinawatra will retain her seat in the government as culture minister, according to a royal decree published today. The petition filed by senators asked the court to investigate the leaked audio recording of the phone call between Shinawatra and Hun Sen and to suspend her executive duties until a final ruling is issued in the case. The call, which took place on June 15 as part of diplomatic efforts to contain border tensions with Cambodia, sparked widespread angry reactions in Thailand after Shinawatra appeared in the recording to be submissive to Hun Sen and directly criticizing the commander of the Thai army's Second Military Region in a move considered a flagrant violation of red lines in a country where the army is one of the most powerful centers of influence. The fallout from the leaked call resulted in the withdrawal of a major party from the ruling coalition, causing the government to lose its fragile parliamentary majority. This prompted several political forces to begin preparations to submit a motion of no confidence against Shinawatra in parliament amid mounting popular pressure and growing demands from protest movements calling for her immediate resignation. immediate resignation. Last Saturday, the capital Bangkok witnessed mass demonstrations in which thousands of protesters from conservative and nationalist movements participated, raising slogans demanding the immediate resignation of the prime minister in protest against what they considered an insult to the military institution and an unjustified attempt to submit to the Cambodian leadership. Meanwhile, Shinawatra is under separate investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission on allegations of serious ethical violations. The commission's upcoming decision could lead to a ruling that would officially remove her from her executive position.