Thailand’s Prayut to remain Prime Minister for now

Thailand’s constitutional court has thrown a political lifeline to current Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-O-Cha. On Friday, the court ruled that Prayut’s tenure as Prime Minister had not yet reached the 8-year mark.

The court ruled that Prayut’s term started on April 6, 2017, when the present charter took effect.

The nine-member panel took approximately 20 minutes to rule that Prayut’s previous leadership, which was the 2014 military coup, did not apply under this constitution.

Prayut was suspended from his position as Prime Minister and re-assigned to the role of Defense Minister while his case was under review. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon served as acting Prime Minister during Prayut’s suspension.

“The tenure of the accused (the prime minister) from April 6, 2017, to Aug 24, 2022, has not reached its limit and the court rules by a majority vote that his premiership has not ended in accordance with the 2017 constitution,” the court said in their ruling.

As a result of this ruling, Prayut’s term in office will come to an end in 2025.

Thailand’s House Speaker Chuan Leekpai petitioned the court to look into whether Prayut should stand down.

Leekpai directed the court to Section 158 of the 2017 Constitution which reads, “The Prime Minister shall not hold office for more than eight years in total, whether or not holding consecutive terms.”

Prayut himself responded to the ruling by stating his intention to continue with developmental projects within Thailand.

“The past month has given me an opportunity to reflect and realize that I have to spend the government’s precious time, which is limited, to push many important projects that I started,” Prayut said.