Thai PM Prayuth Chan-ocha and cabinet breached constitution with ‘incomplete’ swearing-in, Ombudsman finds

At the July 16 ceremony, Prayuth omitted the last sentence, which referred to upholding and complying with the constitution

The incomplete oath could mean that all of the government’s actions could be seen as unconstitutional

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Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha with his new government cabinet in Bangkok in July. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:29pm, 27 Aug 2019Updated: 4:02pm, 27 Aug 2019

Thailand’s prime minister and his cabinet breached the constitution by failing to recite the full oath of allegiance when they were sworn in before the king last month, the Office of the Ombudsman said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and 35 cabinet ministers pledged their loyalty to King Maha Vajiralongkorn at a ceremony at a Bangkok palace on July 16 but omitted the last sentence, on upholding and complying with the constitution.

“The prime minister did not recite all the wordings as required by the constitution,” Raksagecha Chaechai, secretary general of the Office of the Ombudsman told reporters. “Therefore, the swearing-in was incomplete.”

Raksagecha said the Constitutional Court would have to rule on what needed to be done because an incomplete oath could mean that all of the government’s actions could be seen as unconstitutional.

Prayuth declined to comment when reporters asked him about the office’s ruling.

Prayuth scrapped the previous constitution when he seized power from an elected government in a 2014 coup. He was army chief at the time.

The prime minister did not recite all the wordings as required by the constitution. Therefore, the swearing-in was incomplete

Raksagecha Chaechai, Office of the Ombudsman

The current constitution was drawn up at his behest. It gives the military a significant role in politics, to the disappointment of pro-democracy activists.