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. Prayut was suspended at the end of August after the court initially granted an opposition motion.
The government opponents 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. The then army chief took over the post of prime minister in August 2014 after a military coup. However, the judges have now decided 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.
Strictest security measures
The strictest security precautions were in place at the seat of the Constitutional Court even before the verdict was announced. Hundreds of police officers were on duty – apparently also with a view to possible protests. 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.
ww/yy (dpa, afp)
