By Linda Khoo Hui Li
BANGKOK, Aug 26 (NNN-Bernama) — Prayuth Chan o-cha who is awaiting for the constitutional court’s decision to see if he could continue as Thailand’s prime minister in the meantime is continuing with his routine as the defence minister.
Thai Ministry of Defence distributed photos of Prayuth returning to work at the Defence Ministry Friday.
In a statement, acting government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said Prayuth would continue to serve as the minister defence for the people and Thailand.
“The cabinet continues function as normal,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan who is the acting prime minister refused to answer queries from journalists on his first day in the prime minister’s office.
On Wednesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prayuth from official duties after it decided to hear a petition from the opposition block that sought a review to see if he had exceeded his eight-year term limit.
The opposition said Prayuth’s time spent after he took power in the 2014 military coup should count towards the eight-year term and he had now reached the limit.
However, Prayuth’s supporters said his tenure started when the 2017 constitution was instituted while some even said that is should be after the 2019 general election.
Thailand’s 2017 constitution limits any prime minister from serving more than eight years in total.
It is unclear when the court will deliver a final ruling on the petition.
— NNN-BERNAMA
