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"I
will continue to do my duty and responsibility as defence
minister for the people and Thailand every day," Prayuth said on
the Twitter account of the prime minister's office late on
Thursday.
The Constitutional Court on Wednesday decided to hear a petition
brought by the main opposition party arguing that Prayuth's
years spent as the chief of a military junta after he took power
in a 2014 coup, should count toward his overall time in office.
The constitution stipulates a term limit of eight years for the
prime minister.
It remains unclear when the court will deliver a decision on the
review.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is serving as acting
premier of Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. He declined
to answer journalists' questions on his first day in the prime
minister's office on Friday.
The controversy over Prayuth's term limit is the latest eposide
in nearly two decades of intermittent political turmoil,
including two coups and violent protests, stemming from
opposition to military involvement in politics and demands for
greater representation as political awareness grows.
A government spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, said on Friday
the cabinet continues to function as normal.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing
by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Richard Pullin)
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