Thai Court Gives PM More Time in Abuse of Power Case

The charges relate to the transfer of National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri in 2011, which opponents say was designed to benefit her Puea Thai Party. If found guilty, Yingluck could be forced to step down and some legal experts say the whole government would have to go with her.

Yingluck, who heads a caretaker government with limited powers, has been undermined by six months of street protests as well as various legal challenges against her, which have intensified since February.

Thawil was reinstated to his post in March but the Constitutional Court accepted a case brought against Yingluck by a group of 27 senators who petitioned it to rule that her removal of the security chief violated the constitution.

"The prime minister will be given until May 2 to present her defense and gather further evidence," Somrit Chaiwong, a Constitutional Court spokesman, told Reuters.

Any judgment that removes Yingluck will escalate tension between her supporters and the anti-government protesters. Some fear an increase in violence that could prompt intervention by the coup-prone military.

A long-running crisis broadly pits the mostly poorer supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, against the Bangkok-based middle class and the conservative establishment. Thaksin was ousted by the army in 2006 and has chosen exile rather than accept a jail term handed down in 2008 for abuse of power.

The protesters want to end Thaksin's political influence and set in motion broad political reforms that would prevent parties loyal to him from running for office again.

A February 2 election was disrupted by the protesters, who stopped candidates from registering and blocked polling stations and the delivery of ballot papers. As a result, a court last month ruled the election void and the Election Commission has yet to set a new date.