Thai court suspends PM Prayuth pending term limit review

FILE PHOTO: Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attends a weekly cabinet meeting ahead of a Constitutional Court decision on when his eight-year PM terms ends at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from official duties on Wednesday, after deciding to hear a petition seeking review of his legally mandated eight-year term limit.

The petition by the main opposition party argued that Prayuth's time spent as head of a military junta, after he staged a coup when he was army chief in 2014, should count towards his constitutionally stipulated eight-year term.