Thailand's 2017 Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), ex-chairman Meechai Ruchuphan. - The Nation Thailand/ANN
BANGKOK, Sept 13 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thailand's Constitutional Court judges are expected to begin deliberating on Wednesday (Sept 14) on whether suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has exceeded his term limit.
The court has received statements from Prayut and two former members of the 2017 Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), ex-chairman Meechai Ruchuphan and ex-secretary Pakorn Nilprapun.
However, Wednesday’s meeting was scheduled one day after it received the minutes of the CDC’s 501st meeting, held on September 11, 2018.
The court demanded to see the minutes after Meechai wrote in his statement that views he expressed during the 500th meeting had been misrepresented by those arguing that Prayut’s term ended on August 24.
In his statement, Meechai said Prayut’s eight-year term as premier should be counted from April 6, 2017, when the current Constitution was promulgated.
On Wednesday, the court is expected to announce that it has enough evidence to make a decision on Prayut's tenure within the next 15 days, the timeline for a ruling in such cases.
The case stems from a petition lodged by the opposition, which asked the court to rule on whether Prayut’s eight-year term ended on August 24. - The Nation Thailand/ANN
