After eight months behind bars, Thaksin Shinawatra is released, reigniting political speculation in Thailand.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole Monday after serving eight months in prison, a long-awaited release that has revived questions about his political future and that of his camp in Thailand.

The 76-year-old billionaire left Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison to applause from numerous supporters who had come to welcome him. Smiling, dressed in a loose white shirt and sporting very short hair, he embraced his family members upon his release.

Among them was his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, considered his political heir. She had been removed from her post as Prime Minister by a court last August, a few days before her father's imprisonment.

Thaksin Shinawatra was sentenced to a year in prison after his dramatic return to Thailand in 2025, ending several years of self-imposed exile. However, much of his sentence was served in hospital rather than prison, fueling criticism from his political opponents.

A central figure in Thai political life for over 25 years, Thaksin profoundly transformed the country's political landscape through policies popular with rural and working-class voters. But his influence now appears waning following his imprisonment and the recent electoral difficulties faced by his party, Pheu Thai.

The once-dominant Shinawatra family party has recorded its worst electoral results this year, marking a historic setback for the country's most influential political clan since the early 2000s.

According to several analysts, Thaksin should now exercise caution in any attempt to make a direct return to the political scene, as tensions between conservative elites, the army and his supporters remain high in Thailand.

Despite this relative decline, the release of the former leader could nevertheless give momentum to his supporters and revive the political divisions that have plagued the kingdom for more than two decades.