The court agreed to hear a case brought by opposition lawmakers who say Prayuth, who came to power in a coup in 2014, should have stepped down this week. Under the Thai constitution, prime ministers are prohibited from ruling for more than eight years. The court said in a statement that Prayuth would be suspended pending a verdict. “The court has reviewed the application and the supporting documents and finds that the facts as requested indicate reasonable suspicion that there is a case as requested,” the court said in a statement. “Thus, the majority (five to four) in favor of (Prayuth) will be suspended as prime minister, effective August 24, 2022, until the court issues a verdict.” Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, a former army chief and close ally of Prayuth, will act as interim leader, according to government spokeswoman Anucha Burapachaisri. Prayuth was given 15 days to respond to the petition. It is unclear when the verdict will be handed down. Prayuth’s supporters argue that he has not yet reached his term limit because the constitution was only introduced in 2017 and therefore should not be applied retroactively. Others argue that the time limit should be calculated from 2019, when he was appointed prime minister after a democratic election. If the court rules in Prayuth’s favor, it could allow him to remain in office until 2025 or 2027 – depending on next year’s elections, which are due to be held before May 2023. However, the poll found that nearly two-thirds of people in Thailand want Prayuth to step down this month. In recent days, protest groups have gathered in Bangkok, calling on him to step down. “We are not only satisfied with the suspension of Prayuth’s service. We want parliament dissolved and early elections,” an activist who identified herself as Manee told Reuters. “We are not happy. Prayuth stole power from a woman and became prime minister in a coup,” she said, referring to ousted prime minister in 2014 Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of former prime minister and telecom tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra. Yingluck and Thaksin live abroad in self-imposed exile. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. On Sunday, 38 protest groups issued a joint statement describing his rule as “the darkest and bitterest of times” and warning the court: “Allowing this tyrant to remain in power would be a catalyst for outrage and a major uprising which would endanger. holy institution”. Prayuth has survived several no-confidence votes and was also the target of mass pro-democracy protests in 2020. But the protests, which also called for reform of the monarchy, have dwindled as authorities crack down on rallies. At least 1,843 people have been charged in connection with political protests since July 2020, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
