Photo: AFP
BANGKOK, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Constitutional Court announced on Wednesday to temporarily suspend the premiership of Prime Minister (PM) Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Judges agree by five votes to four to suspend Prayut from office, effective on Aug. 24, 2022, pending the court's verdict, the court said in a statement on its website.
The court's statement came following a petition filed by the opposition parties for a ruling on when Prayut's eight-year tenure should conclude, which they believed should have ended and demanded Prayut to step down.
Born in 1954, Prayut was selected as the interim prime minister after a 2014 coup and was later royally endorsed as the 29th PM of the country on Aug. 25, 2014.
Prayut's supporters argue that the clock on his tenure should begin when the 2017 constitution was instituted, or even after the 2019 general election when Prayut was re-elected as the PM to head a civilian government.
Hours after the court's statement, Anucha Burapachaisri, acting government spokesperson, said Prayut respects the decision and would suspend his duty as the PM starting from Wednesday, but he would remain as the defense minister.
Anucha said during the period, Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon would serve as the interim PM.
