Thai Court Allows Gen. Prayut to Stay On as Prime Minister

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Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha may continue to serve as prime minister.

The ruling states that his eight-year term restriction can only be counted from April 6, 2017, when the new constitution took effect.

The majority of court members, according to the court, feel that the counting cannot be performed retroactively.

The Thaiger reports that PM Prayut is now qualified to run in the upcoming general election in Thailand.

If he is re-elected as prime minister, it is uncertain how much longer he will continue in power. As Prayut has already served two four-year terms as prime minister, the court’s ruling is likely to provoke widespread public outrage.

Prayut first became prime minister after staging a coup in 2014 against Yingluck Shinawatre’s democratically elected government.