The Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that the premiership of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has not ended regarding Section 158’s Clause 4 of the Constitution which indicates that his tenure in office started on April 6, 2017, when the Constitution was promulgated.
The court started to read its ruling at 3pm. The ruling was for the petition that the opposition had earlier filed through House Speaker Chuan Leekpai, asking the court to rule if the premiership of Gen Prayut already ended. On Aug 24 the Constitutional Court suspended Gen Prayut from the prime ministerial duties by 5 votes to 4 pending its ruling.
Constitutional Court judges ruled by majority vote that the prime ministerial tenure of Gen Prayut had not ended because the maximum eight-year timeframe for the prime ministerial term of Gen Prayut in accordance with Clause 4 in Section 158 of the 2017 Constitution began on the promulgation date of the Constitution which was April 6, 2017.
Therefore, Gen Prayut’s tenure as the prime minister has not reached eight years yet and he can remain as the prime minister, according to the Constitutional Court.
Prime Minister Prayut wrote on his Facebook account that he respected the ruling of the Constitutional Court and he was grateful for people’s moral support towards him. (TNA)
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