BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will remain in his post after the country’s top court ruled on Friday that he has not exceeded the eight-year term limit.

The Constitutional Court ruled that his term started in 2017, after the current Constitution replaced the post-coup provisional charter.

The former junta chief had been suspended from premier duties since Aug 24 while the court deliberated the matter.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has been serving as Thailand’s caretaker premier for the past month.

The Pheu Thai Party had argued that Mr Prayut had exceeded the tenure limit stipulated by the 2017 Constitution, which states that any prime minister cannot hold the post for more than eight years.

Mr Prayut became prime minister in August 2014 after staging a coup and toppling the Pheu Thai-led government in May that year.

Pheu Thai argues that his tenure must include this period and that based on this calculation, Mr Prayut’s eight-year team ended in August 2022.

It had asked the nine-judge court to rule on the term limit.

The courts verdict means that Mr Prayut will be able to see Thailand through the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperationsummit in mid-November and stay on until 2025 if he is re-elected as premier, following national polls that must be called by early 2023.

But this will also limit Mr Prayuts time in power with three years left on his term. And questions remain about whether he will continue as the pro-military Palang Pracharath Partys premier nominee in the next election with this limited tenure.

On Friday, there was heavy security around the Constitutional Court in anticipation of demonstrations following the verdict.

Pro-democracy groups have said that they would protest if Mr Prayut is allowed to continue his tenure, and have called for rallies around Bangkok’s city centre. More On This Topic Timeline: Thailand's politics since military coup led by Prayut in 2014 'Come-what-may guy' is Thailand's possible PM