Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon expects Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to survive the eight-year term legal dispute, be the next prime ministerial candidate of his Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and remain premier for two more years.
Speaking at Government House, Gen Prawit said on Tuesday he expected Gen Prayut to remain prime minister after the controversy over his eight-year term is concluded.
He hoped Gen Prayut would continue as prime minister for two more years.
Gen Prawit said that he was ready to nominate Gen Prayut as the prime ministerial candidate of the ruling PPRP. However, he would not refuse outright if party members wanted to nominate him as their candidate for prime minister.
Section 158 of the constitution limits the term of a prime minister to eight years.
The opposition has always insisted that Gen Prayut's maximum eight-year tenure ends this month, arguing that his premiership began the day he was installed as head of the junta's governing National Council for Peace and Order after the 2014 military coup.
However, according to the House of Representatives' legal team, Gen Prayut's term technically began on June 9, 2019, when his premiership received royal endorsement under the 2017 constitution. By this standard, he would be entitled to serve until 2027.