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CANBERRA: The Constitutional Court of Thailand has decided to hear a petition from the political opposition asking the court to make a ruling on when Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s tenure will come to an end.
Under the Thai constitution, the maximum term for a prime minister is eight years, but disagreements have arisen over when exactly Prayut took office and when he should be forced to step down.
Critics believe the clock should have begun ticking when he was first appointed to the role on Aug 24, 2014, several months after a successful coup led by Prayut saw the then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra removed from office.
Supporters of Prayut argue that his first day as prime minister was, in fact, Jun 9, 2019, when he entered office under the current constitution – a constitution that was rewritten by the post-coup government and came into force in 2017.
Regardless of the court’s decision on Wednesday (Aug 24), it seems likely that Prayut could still hold onto power. As the constitutional court accepted the petition to decide on Prayut’s tenure, he will be suspended from his duties pending a ruling by the nine-member judge panel of the court.
Although the petition was successful, this may not be the end of the matter. The constitutional court has been used in the past for the political ends of the government. It has been utilised in dissolving a popular opposition party before the 2019 election, with its leader being banned from politics for 10 years.
The court has been further described as working against past elected governments, as a threat to Thai democracy, as an agent in applying laws related to revolt, rebellion and coup (the wrong kind, presumably) against anti-government protesters, and as supporting the application of harsh laws of lese-majeste.
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