Thailand PM dissolves parliament ahead of may general election
1 min read 20 Mar 2023, 02:04 PM ISTThailand’s parliament was dissolved on Monday ahead of elections tentatively slated for May as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha seeks to extend nearly a decade of his military-backed rule.
PremiumThailand’s parliament was dissolved on Monday ahead of elections tentatively slated for May as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha seeks to extend nearly a decade of his military-backed rule.
The order dissolving the House of Representatives was published in the Royal Gazette ahead of the end of the lower house’s four-year term on Wednesday, kicking off the countdown for the next election that must be held between 45 to 60 days.
Under the rules, the Election Commission must confirm the date of the election in a separate notification within five days, although it has initially penciled in polling for May 7.
The disbanding will allow the 68-year-old prime minister more time to campaign and recruit members to run for his new party. Allowing the lower house to complete its term would have barred some politicians who switched parties in recent weeks from contesting in the elections.
Prayuth’s government will step into a caretaker capacity until the new cabinet is sworn in, which is expected to be in early August, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri has said.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
