Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra announced today that the House of Representatives has been dissolved and new elections will take place.
The prime minister said she hopes by returning power to the citizenry, the kingdom’s political crisis will abate.
She added that her resignation was done to end the violence that has erupted sporadically around the Bangkok over the past few weeks.
“After listening to opinions from all sides, I have decided to request a royal decree to dissolve parliament,” Yingluck said in a televised statement. “There will be new elections according to the democratic system.”
The date for the election has not yet been set. For now, Yingluck will temporarily continue on as prime minister.
Yingluck’s announcement comes just a day after the opposition Democrat Party said that its 153 members would also be resigning.
“We performed our duty in parliament as best we could,” said Democrat leader and former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva. “We cannot do any more. We regret that the majority in parliament betrays the voice of the people.”
The Democrats claimed they could no longer work with the majority Puea Thai Party.
“We would not want to see any changes made against the constitution nor would we want to be appointed for a title or gained benefits from the upcoming political changes,” MCOT and Thairath reported.
Follow us on Twitter @CoconutsBangkok for coverage of today’s protest.
