Thai caretaker PM Prayut announces retirement from politics

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Thailand’s outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced his retirement from politics on July 11, but will remain as prime minister for the time being. - Photo by AFP

BANGKOK - Thailand's outgoing prime minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha announced his retirement from politics Tuesday, but will remain as PM until the formation of a new government.

A long-running fixture in Thai politics, the army chief seized power in a 2014 coup before cementing his control in highly controversial 2019 elections.

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His decision comes just days before a key vote in the Thai parliament that could see the next prime minister elected, following a May election when voters emphatically rejected army-backed parties.

"From now on, I quit politics by resigning as a member of the UTN party," he said in a statement posted on the United Thai Nation (UTN) party's official Facebook page.

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The party -- which Prayut joined only weeks before the elections -- failed to gain traction with voters, coming in a distant fifth place behind opposition parties Move Forward and Pheu Thai.

The opposition groups were galvanised by a wave of support across the country, as voters rejected a near-decade of army-backed rule and voted for reform.

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In his statement, Prayut urged members of UTN to protect "the institutions of nation, religion, and monarchy" -- a reference to the previously untouchable three pillars of Thai society.

He will remain as caretaker PM until the formation of a new government. - AFP

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