Status: 09/30/2022 11:25 a.m
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut was suspended weeks ago at the request of the opposition – they had argued that Prayut had reached the end of his term. Now the constitutional court has decided that he can stay.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who was suspended from office five weeks ago, is allowed to remain head of government. This was decided by the constitutional court of the Southeast Asian country. The verdict had been eagerly awaited. Activist groups have announced demonstrations in response to the verdict, and hundreds of police officers are deployed around the building.
Prayut was suspended in late August after the court granted an opposition motion. This argued that Prayut, who has been in power since 2014, has already reached the end of his term. According to the constitution, this is limited to eight years.
Term of office only counts since 2017
The then army chief took over the post in August 2014 after a military coup. However, the nine-member court ruled that Prayut’s term in office has only been counted since the new constitution came into force in April 2017. Vice Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had been temporarily in charge of official business since August.
The next general election is scheduled for May 7, 2023. Should Prayut be re-elected, his term would end after two years, according to the verdict.