The King of Thailand signed an edict approving the dissolution of the parliament

King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand has signed an edict approving Prime Minister Anutin's dissolution of the parliament, paving the way for an early general election in Thailand.

Reuters reported that the Royal Gazette of Thailand released a royal decree in the early hours of Friday (December 12), approving the dissolution of the lower house of the parliament. Anutin posted a statement on social media late Thursday night (11th), saying: "I request that power be returned to the people." Thai media reported that this statement means Anutin has applied to the King of Thailand to dissolve the House of representatives in order to hold an early general election.

According to the Constitution of Thailand, after the dissolution of the lower house of the parliament, Thailand must hold a general election within 45 to 60 days. The original cabinet will continue to perform its duties as the caretaker government until the new government is formed.

From December 10th to 11th, the upper and lower houses of the Thai parliament held a meeting to review the draft amendment to the Constitution and vote on it. The final voting result showed that the draft was not passed. Thai media reported that the opposition People's Party immediately decided to convene parliamentarians to propose a motion of no confidence against the Anutin government.

The Anutin government is in the minority in the House of Representatives. He previously said that if anyone raised a motion of no confidence, he would immediately announce the dissolution of the House of Commons and hold an early general election. The dissolution of the lower house of the Thai parliament requires the approval of the King of Thailand.

After Thailand's previous Prime Minister Pethongtan was dismissed, Anutin, the leader of the Thai Pride Party, formed a minority government with the support of the People's Party at the end of September. After taking office, Anutin announced that the parliament would be dissolved by the end of January at the latest and that a general election would be held in March or early April.