Thailand's constitutional court temporarily suspended the country's Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, starting August 24, until it rules on a petition from the opposition, Thai media reported.
The court voted 5-4 in favor of the suspension, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS. The move was announced in a written statement from the court sent to media, with no clarification as to when it would deliver a final ruling. Deputy Premier Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan was reportedly designated as the acting prime minister.
The court had been set to rule on the petition, signed by a total of 171 opposition lawmakers, to oust Chan-ocha, arguing that the PM had reached the legal limit on how long he can remain in office.
68-year-old Prayuth was an army chief when he led a coup in 2014 to topple an elected government. In 2019, after an election was held in line with a military-drafted constitution, he became a civilian prime minister.
Thailand's main opposition Pheu Thai Party (PTP), as well as about two-thirds of the population, showed a recent opinion poll, believed the PM should step down by August 24 because his time as junta chief counted towards his term in office.
Prayut’s supporters have claimed that the clock started ticking during his time in office, pointing to the current military-drafted constitution, which came into effect on April 6, 2017.
Authorities in the Thai capital, Bangkok, had boosted security at the prime minister’s office after a protest involving about 200 people took place in the city on August 23, with participants demanding the resignation of Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Thailand has faced widespread demonstrations since the contested 2019 general election, with protesters calling for the resignation of Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former junta leader.
Since 2014, when Prayuth Chan-o-cha seized power in Thailand, a series of policy implementations triggered the population’s discontent. Thus, in 2016, the government adopted a new constitution which introduced the military-appointed Senate with the power to appoint prime ministers.