The House of Representatives has been dissolved, paving the way for a general election.
A royal decree announcing the dissolution was published on Monday in the Royal Gazette. It was countersigned by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and was effective immediately. A date for the polls has yet to be set, but must be within 45-60 days.
The existing cabinet headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha now has limited authority as head of a caretaker government.
The Election Commission (EC) met on Monday with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, and discussed what the caretaker government can and cannot do under Section 169 of the 2017 constitution, particularly about cabinet ministers going out on the campaign trail ahead of the general election.
The EC would decide the election date, rumoured to be May 7 or May 14. The EC said that the polls would be held on a holiday.
