Thai PM Suspended As Court Mulls if He Defied Term Limits
TimeDec 25, 2022
Thailand: PM Suspended Pending Term Limit Ruling
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Image copyright: Reuters [via The Wall Street Journal]
The Facts
On Wed., Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended PM Prayuth Chan-ocha from his official duties, by a 5-4 majority vote, until a ruling on his term limit is delivered.
Prayuth must submit his defense to the court within 15 days of receiving a copy of the complaint, but a date to decide the issue hasn't been announced yet.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Prayuth needs to let go of power and call for a snap election to solve this political impasse and prevent further crises and legal battles. This solution is unlikely, however, as he has already shown he isn't willing to return the power he illegitimately seized from the people in 2014.
Pro-establishment narrative
The constitutional law concerning the expiration of PM Preyuth's term is immensely complex. Whatever the Constitutional Court decides will be respected by the government and, in order to avoid political interference with the court, there shouldn't be any speculation about the outcome of the case.
