Thai PM suspended from duty; deputy PM is caretaker leader

THAILAND’S Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha from official duties on Wednesday (Aug 24), after deciding to hear a petition seeking review of his legally mandated 8-year term limit.

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan will act as a caretaker leader from Wednesday. 

“General Prayut Chan-o-cha fully respects the Constitutional Court’s decision, and will stop performing duties as prime minister from today,” government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement.

Prayut, 68, will continue as the defence minister. Widely regarded as a political kingmaker, Prawit leads Palang Pracharath, the largest party in the government coalition.

The petition was filed by the main opposition party, which argued that Prayut’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 8-year term.

Although Prayut 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.

Prayut has 15 days to respond, the court told media in a statement, adding that a panel of judges ruled 5-to-4 in favour of his suspension, starting from Wednesday.

It was not clear when the court would deliver a final ruling on the petition.

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Prayut ruled as head of a military council after he overthrew an elected government in 2014, and became a civilian prime minister in 2019, following an election held under a military-drafted constitution. Thailand’s next general election is due by May next year.

In its review request, the main opposition party has argued that Prayut should leave office this month because his time as junta chief should count towards his term. Nearly two-thirds of Thais also want him out of office by this month, a recent poll showed.

But some supporters argue his term started in 2017, when a new constitution took effect, or after the 2019 election, meaning that he should be allowed to stay in power until 2025 or 2027, if elected.

The controversy is the latest in a country that suffered intermittent political turmoil for nearly 20 years, including 2 coups and violent protests, stemming broadly from opposition to military involvement in politics and demands for greater representation as political awareness grows.

Pro-democracy activists have campaigned against Prayut and his government, arguing that the 2019 election was not legitimate. But student-led demonstrations petered out over the past couple of years, with the imposition of Covid-19 bans on gatherings. Activists gathered in Bangkok on Tuesday calling on the court to suspend Prayut.

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward opposition party, called for a speedy ruling on Prayut’s fate.

“We want relevant agencies to act quickly. The law on this matter is not complicated,” he told reporters at parliament .“If the Constitutional Court can decide quickly, the vacuum in the administration that we are concerned about will be short.”

Recent opinion polls show Prayut’s popularity has been declining in part due to his administration’s handling of Covid and rising inflation. More than 93 per cent of 374,063 surveyed by a network of academics from eight Thai universities said he should not stay in office for more than eight years, according to results published on Monday. 

While the baht extended losses to as much as 0.4 per cent to 32.27 to a dollar on the news, the benchmark stock index erased gains of as much as 0.3 per cent to trade 0.5 per cent lower at 2.36 pm in Bangkok. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG