Bangkok – Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will not have to leave office early if re-elected as prime minister according to deputy premier Wissanu Krea-ngam.
The deputy prime minister for legal affairs on Tuesday confirmed the notion that Gen Prayut can serve a full term of four years if he is re-elected, stemming speculation that he would have to leave his post early given the constitution only allows a person to stay on as prime minister for a maximum of eight years. According to Wissanu, the prime ministerial candidate of the pro-government Palang Pracharath Party has served less than two years as head of government under the current charter, thus is eligible for a full term if re-elected to office. The current constitution came into force in 2017.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan said the country’s future will be clearer after May 9 or after the Election Commission announces official poll results, denying a rumor that he was helping the Palang Pracharath Party form a government.
Col Winthai Suvaree, spokesperson for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), says the general election was carried out according to the rule of law and that it is the electoral body’s responsibility to make election results known, confirming that the NCPO has no clout over election commissioners while pleading with the public to avoid comments and criticism that could divide the nation.
