Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on December 6 that he intends to rule until 2025, the first hint of Thailand’s intention to run for the 2023 general election.
Thailand is set to hold elections early next year, and the main opposition Pheu Thai party begins campaigning on December 6.
Prayuth, a military leader who came to power in a 2014 coup, retains power in controversial elections in 2029 but his popularity rating has plummeted.
Although the Pheu Thai party is popular in elections, the current constitution, drawn up under Thai military rule, includes a system that favors parties with ties to the military.
In September, the Constitutional Court ruled that Prayuth’s eight-year term as prime minister would end in 2025 and that the term of the government led by Prayuth was counted from April 2017, the court said. . Asked by reporters about the election plans after the weekly cabinet meeting on December 6, Prayuth said: “I will do my best in these two years. And public acceptance will be the right choice for me to continue to serve,” he replied.
Prayuth is expected to leave his current ruling coalition, the Palang Pracharak party, and join a new party before the election.
However, he declined to confirm the election rumours, saying only that he would talk about the matter later.
An election date has yet to be set, but if parliament, which expires in March, is not dissolved before the end of its term, elections are likely to be held in May. Prayuth, a former army general, participated in large-scale anti-government protests that took place in 2020. He was able to hold his ground during the difficult times of the pandemic and the shutdown. economic stagnation of the country.
In addition, Prayuth has won votes of no confidence against him in parliament four times.
