Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - According to a poll, nearly two-thirds of Thais want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down this ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - According to a poll, nearly two-thirds of Thais want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down this month. This comes amid a heated discussion about how long the 2014 coup's mastermind should remain in office.
The opposition in Thailand intends to file a case with the constitutional court asking it to rule on whether Prayuth's time as prime minister under the junta counts toward his allotted eight-year term as premier.
64 percent of respondents in a survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) of 1,312 people from August 2–4 said Prayuth should step down on August 23, which is exactly eight years after he became prime minister of what was then a military regime.
According to the survey, 33 percent chose to wait for a court decision, which was published on Sunday.
Prayuth, 68, responded, "It is a court matter," when questioned by reporters on Monday about the opposition's move.
The opposition has made numerous attempts to have Prayuth removed from office, including four no-confidence motions in the Thai parliament, a case alleging a conflict of interest regarding his use of a military residence, and months of youth-led protests that called into question both his rule and the monarchy.
Prayuth served as the junta's leader and prime minister from 2014 until a new parliament picked him to continue in that position following an election in 2019.
The retired general has not indicated when an election will be held, which is required by the constitution to happen within the following 10 months.
A new constitution was promulgated in 2017, according to some of Prayuth's supporters, while others believe that his government began after the 2019 election.
The NIDA poll's question on Prayuth's tenure omitted any discussion of the alternative viewpoints.
