Thai court clears way for PM Prayuth's return from suspension

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha gestures after presiding over Thailand Corporate Excellence Award for Financial Management at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's Constitutional Court on Friday ruled Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha had not exceeded the maximum eight years allowed in office, clearing the way for the former coup leader's return from a five-week suspension.

The decision will be a big boost for Prayuth, a staunch royalist whose premiership has been beset by attempts to unseat him, including four house censure motions, a conflict of interest case and protests challenging his leadership and the monarchy.