BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday after accepting a petition from an opposition party seeking his ousting on the grounds that he has held office for his full, legally mandated term.
The petition filed to parliament last week by the main opposition Pheu Thai party 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 rules on the petition, the 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.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Prayuth respected the court’s decision and had ceased active duty, adding that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan would take over as interim leader and the suspension would have no impact on the government’s work.
Comments
Comments are closed.