BANGKOK: Thailand's Ombudsman has rejected a petition that questioned the tenure of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as it had no authority on the contentious issue.
Ombudsman's Office secretary-general Keirov Kritteranon said the office also had no right to seek a ruling from the Constitutional Court over the petition filed by political activist Srisuwan Janya.
According to a report in The Nation, Srisuwan had filed the petition on Aug 5 asking the Ombudsman to consider when Prayut's eight year tenure would end as he had been holding the post of prime minister since the 2014 coup.
Keirov said the matter was not within the powers of the Ombudsman office as it can only consider and seek rulings on disputes regarding charter-related laws.
He said the issues on the prime minister's tenure depends instead on the Election Commission and speakers of the House and Senate, and representatives there can petition their respective chambers' heads to seek a ruling from the court.
Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reports government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana saying that Gen Prayut will not dissolve parliament and will carry on working until the end of this tenure.
Srisuwan and the opposition have said that Prayut's tenure should end on Aug 24, but a parliament legal team argued that his tenure technically started only on June 9, 2019.
They said this was because he was appointed as prime minister by royal command under the 2017 charter and as such, Prayut's term will only expire in 2027.
Talks on parliament dissolution have gained momentum since the EC recently issued regulations related to the use of state resources and personnel during elections.
Thanakorn also denied speculation that the regulations were linked to the move to seek a Constitutional Court ruling over the dispute regarding the eight-year limit on Gen Prayut's premiership.
Commenting on the issue, army commander-in-chief Narongphan Jitkaewthae said people should not try to predict anything that no one knows.
"We must pray for happiness and prosperity for the country. One should always think positively, for the benefit of the country," he said.
On whether a new prime minister or change of government was likely after the next election, he merely replied that everyone will carry on with their duties for the sake of the public.
Yutthaporn Isarachai, a political scientist from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, said the rumour about the dissolution of the House could be a ploy to distract people's attention from the controversy surrounding Gen Prayut's tenure.
He said it may have been spread by the ruling Palang Pracharath Party but that Gen Prayut was unlikely to dissolve the House as this would do more harm than good for him.
He said this was because it is not known for sure whether the 250 senators would still support him to return as premier amid mounting calls for him to step down.
"Dissolving the House would put him in a situation over which he has no control," Yutthaporn said.
If that were to happen before Aug 24, all petitions seeking a court ruling on this would be dropped automatically, he added.
Yutthaporn said if Gen Prayut steps down, he would remain as the caretaker premier for at least four months, which would give him time to host the Apec meeting in November.
A general election must be held within 45 to 60 days after parliament is dissolved and after that, a new prime minister and cabinet would be chosen. As a royal endorsement is also needed, the whole process could take up to two months.
"That would provide enough time for Gen Prayut to stay on in a caretaker role and host the Apec meeting," Yutthaporn said.