Stage set for King Rama X

HIS ROYAL Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be proclaimed as King Rama X in “a day or two” as the Cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday followed legal procedures in line with the interim Constitution and Palace Law. 
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is also chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), called a special meeting of the Cabinet and the NCPO to discuss the agenda on the accession to the throne. 
The “special agenda” was discussed for 30 minutes before the weekly Cabinet meeting at Government House yesterday. Attending the meeting were key NCPO members, including top military commanders, and chief charter drafter Meechai Ruchuphan. 
Since His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13, had already appointed the Crown Prince as heir apparent in 1972, the Cabinet is required to comply with the King’s will in accordance with Article 23 of the 2007 Constitution. 
Though the 2007 charter was scrapped after the 2014 coup, the interim charter reactivated Chapter II of the previous charter, which details the rules for monarchy and succession. 
Immediately after the meeting, the premier’s secretary-general, General Vilas Aroonsri, carried a letter from Prayut to Parliament to notify NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai of the Cabinet’s resolution.
This “important mission in Thai history” will have been carried out in line with royal traditions and the charter, Prayut said.

Proclamation soon
“It is the first time that [related] laws are being followed given that the Throne is vacant,” Prayut said after the Cabinet meeting. “Since the Heir was already appointed, the new King must be proclaimed … this is a joyous moment,” he said.
“The move will restore the morale of, and bring delight, to the people,” a letter from Prayut to the NLA said.
However, Prayut did not say exactly when the Crown Prince will grant a royal audience to accept the invitation to the throne. 
“It will happen soon,” the premier said. However, his deputy and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said shortly after the meeting that HRH the Crown Prince would grant an audience to accept the invitation in a day or two. 
Meanwhile, upon receiving Prayut’s letter, NLA President Pornpetch convened a special meeting to acknowledge the Cabinet’s notification on the accession to the throne. 
“The NLA, which now functions as Parliament, has received the Cabinet’s notification and will |now invite HRH the Crown Prince to ascend the throne as the next King of Thailand,” NLA chief Pornpetch said before convening the special meeting, at which 243 of 250 NLA members were present. 
The five-minute meeting, which was broadcast via the National Assembly Radio and Television Broadcasting Station and National Broadcasting Services, was wrapped up with |the lawmakers standing up and chanting “Long Live the King” in unison. This process is in line with formal practices, a source among the NLA whips said.
Pornpetch, meanwhile, said he was waiting for the Royal Household Bureau to notify him when the Crown Prince will grant an audience, so he can officially extend an invitation for him to ascend the throne. 
A public announcement of the proclamation would be set at a later date, he said.