All eyes are on whether the Constitutional Court will on Wednesday accept a petition filed by the opposition bloc seeking a ruling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's eight-year tenure.
Speaking after Tuesday's cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the court will meet today and it remains to be seen whether it will accept the petition for consideration.
The Secretariat of the House of Representatives on Monday forwarded the petition signed by 171 opposition MPs to the court.
"If the court accepts it, it will then make a decision about whether to suspend Gen Prayut temporarily [until the judges rule on the issue]. But it is unlikely that the court will make the decision today because it requires a few more days to consider the matter first."
"If Gen Prayut is suspended, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon will serve as acting prime minister while Gen Prayut can still carry on as defence minister, a portfolio he holds concurrently,'' Mr Wissanu said.
Mr Wissanu also stressed the need for government officials to carry on as normal.
"Any officials who fail to carry out their duties properly may risk breaching Section 157 of the Criminal Code for dereliction of duty," Mr Wissanu said.
According to Section 158 of the constitution, the maximum term of a prime minister is eight years, but there have been disagreements over when Gen Prayut's term officially concludes.
His critics believe it should be this month because the clock started in 2014 when Gen Prayut first became prime minister after the coup that year.
Another group claims his term should end in 2027 because he was appointed PM under the 2017 charter in June 2019. As a result, his eight-year limit would end in 2027.
According to a further metric, the count started in April 2017 when the current charter was promulgated, meaning Gen Prayut's tenure would end in 2025.
Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew on Tuesday said the opposition bloc will wait and see if the court will accept the petition today.
If the court accepts it, but does not suspend Gen Prayut, the opposition bloc will then hold a meeting to discuss their next move, Dr Cholnan said.
Jarun Pukditanakul, a former Constitutional Court judge, believed the court may need at least two months to consider the matter before issuing a ruling.
Meanwhile, witnesses said at least 100 demonstrators gathered outside Government House on Tuesday, fewer than the 500 police had expected.
A number of protest groups have announced their intention to join political activities at various locations to call for the end of Gen Prayut's time in office and criticise the government.
