Explainer: Why did a Thai court suspend Prime Minister Prayuth and what will happen next?

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha from carrying out official duties. The rare decision is a huge blow to the former army chief who first came to power after toppling an elected government in a 2014 coup. It is being perceived as a possibly brief victory for opposition parties that have sought to loosen Prayuth's hold on power through elections, parliamentary manoeuvres and legal cases.

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Why did the suspension happen?

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Prayuth's suspension came amidst a petition being considered by the court which states that he has reached an eight-year term limit set for prime ministers in the 2017 constitution written by a military appointed committee after the coup and passed in a referendum.

The petition has been filed by opposition parties that have failed to oust Prayuth in four no-confidence votes. It says that because the army junta led by Prayuth named him prime minister in August 2014, a few months after the coup, he reached the limit this week. However, some Prayuth supporters argue that his premiership in fact started in 2017, when the new constitution came into force.

Then there are others who say that after his pro-army party contested and won elections in 2019, that was when Prayuth's term began. Later that year, he was elected as civilian prime minister by the parliament, but the opposition said the entire process was skewed to favour pro-army candidates. But Prayuth's government maintained that the elections were free and fair.

Who's in charge now?

Following Prayuth's suspension, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, will be the interim leader, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri told reporters. Prawit, a former army chief, is a longtime royalist figure and considered a political kingmaker in the conservative movement.

What's next?

If the court says that Prayuth had reached his term limit, the elected parliament would pick a new prime minister from among qualified candidates who ran in the 2019 election.

Prayuth's Palang Pracharat party will hold the cards in this case, since it heads a 17-party coalition in the parliament. This combined with the votes of a military-selected Senate should give it enough votes to decide the next prime minister.

Prayuth has 15 days to respond to his suspension, although the court did not set a timeline to issue a ruling on the petition itself.

Can Prayuth be restored?

Yes. If the court rules that Prayuth's term officially began in 2017 or 2019, he could be re-instated. In this case, he could stay in power until 2025 or 2027, depending on the results of the next elections.

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Are elections on the cards?

The next elections are due by May next year under the constitution, but a sitting prime minister has the power to call early elections by dissolving the elected House of Representatives. In that case, an election would be held within 60 days after a house dissolution.

However, ruling party members have said elections are unlikely until after Thailand hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit in November in Bangkok.

(With inputs from agencies)