Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has dissolved the country’s parliament, according to a decree published in the royal Gazette on Monday, paving the way for a general election in May.
The 4-year term of the Thai parliament was supposed to conclude this Thursday (March 23), but PM Prayut has already announced that he will dissolve the Parliament in order to shorten the time that MPs had to wait before switching parties (30 days before Election Day vs. 90 days).
A general election must be held between the 45th and 60th day following the dissolution, as mandated by the electoral regulations.
Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam stated that elections, should the House be dissolved on Monday, will be held on May 14. This date has not yet been officially confirmed.
Prayuth came to power in a 2014 coup and declared his rule would be short-lived. He led a junta and is still in power as prime minister despite an electoral campaign in 2019.
