Opposition MPs wear black to protest against Prayut continuing as PM
Opposition Pheu Thai and Move Forward lawmakers attended Parliament on Wednesday wearing black to protest against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who, they believe, should have stepped down on completing eight years in office.
Prayut became prime minister eight years ago on August 24.
Most Pheu Thai MPs from across the country dressed in black, such as Ubon Ratchathani MP Chuvit Pitakpornpunlup, Lamphun MP Sanguan Pongmanee and Lopburi MP Ubonsak Bualuang-ngam.
Meanwhile, Move Forward MPs who dressed in Black included party-list MP Suthep Ou-oun, Trat MP Sakdinai Numnoo and Phitsanulok MP Padipat Santipada.
Critics are demanding that Prayut, who doubles as defence minister, step down before Wednesday when they say his eight-year term as stipulated by the Constitution expires.
Opposition MPs have submitted a petition for the Constitutional Court to rule on when Prayut’s eight-year tenure expires.
Pheu Thai and Move Forward MPs said they had dressed in black because they believe that Prayut is a barbarian prime minister whose eight-year tenure has expired.
Article 158 of the Constitution states that: “The prime minister shall not hold office for more than eight years in total, whether or not consecutively.”
However, there is a dispute over the date from which Prayut's tenure should be counted.
The opposition insists Prayut’s term started when he first assumed premiership on August 24, 2014, after ousting Yingluck Shinawatra’s elected government in a military putsch led by him in May.
Others say his tenure began when the current Constitution was enforced on April 6, 2017, while a third group claims Prayut’s premiership actually began on June 9, 2019, when he was sworn in as prime minister after the general election.
