Opposition bloc urges Prayut to step down and be promptly replaced

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE PHEU THAI-LED opposition bloc has encouraged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down now that he has been ordered by court to stop performing his duties as of today (August 24) so that another person could quickly be found to take his place.

During a press conference at parliament, opposition leader/Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew suggested Prayut call it quits now, given the order of the Constitutional Court for him to immediately stop performing as premier until a court ruling on his eight-year rule has been delivered.

Though the Constitutional Court’s ruling is largely expected within next month, the case filed by the opposition bloc could be immediately lifted, sparing the judges the burden of determining whether Prayut’s eight-year rule maximumly provided by law may already have ended today, only if the embattled premier stepped down now, the opposition leader said.

Chonlanan advised Prayut also give up on his defence portfolio which he has concurrently assumed whilst being barred from performing as head of government otherwise, he said, the premier might probably embarrass and influence caretaker prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan and other cabinet members during weekly cabinet meetings at Government House.

Opposition lawmakers, academics and others have earlier concluded that Prayut’s eight-year rule maximumly provided by law has already ended today, given the fact that he was named head of a military-installed government following a coup in August of 2014 and was consecutively named head of a Palang Pracharath-led coalition government following a general election in 2019.

If Prayut stepped down now, the House of Representatives and Senate could quickly find a new prime minister among candidates for head of government earlier named by parties contesting the previous election in accordance with the current constitution, Chonlanan said.

However, if none of those candidates is given votes from more than half the total of MPs and senators combined, an outsider may be instead named head of government such as Prawit who concurrently leads the largest coalition Palang Pracharath Party.

CAPTIONs:

Top: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha outside the Constitutional Court. Photo: Matichon

Front Page: Pheu Thai party leader Chonlanan Srikaew, right, Prayut, left. Photo: Workpointtoday.com

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