The former general who seized power and then granted himself absolute power to lead Thailand over eight years ago may return to the prime minister’s seat, the Constitutional Court ruled today.
At around 3pm on Friday, the court ruled that Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was unhappily suspended from his post last month while a court reviewed his legally mandated term limit, could return to the job he held since May 2014. The verdict was read by judges Udom Sitthiwirattham, Jiranit Hawanon, and Panya Utchachon.
In their ruling, the judges reasoned that Prayuth’s term did not officially begin until the military-backed constitution came into effect in April 2017. By that measure, his eight-year term won’t be up until April 2025.
But the implications of that mean he won’t be able to seek office again in next year’s election, which has now been set for May 7, if…
