Thailand court suspends PM Prayuth Chan-ocha

PM Prayuth

Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from official duties on Wednesday, after deciding to hear a petition seeking review of his legally mandated eight-year term limit. The petition was filed by the main opposition party, which argued that Prayuth's time spent as head of a military junta after he staged a coup when he was army chief in 2014 should count towards his constitutionally stipulated eight-year term.

Though Prayuth could be restored to his position when the court makes its ruling, his surprise suspension threw Thai politics into confusion. "The court has considered the petition and related documents and sees that the facts from the petition are cause for questioning as demanded," it said. Prayuth has 15 days to respond, the court told media in a statement, adding that a panel of judges ruled five to four in favour of his suspension, starting from Wednesday.

Prayuth ruled as head of a military council after he overthrow an elected government in 2014. He became a civilian prime minister in 2019 following an election held under a 2017 military-drafted constitution in which an eight-year limit for a prime minister was set.

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