Thailand’s cabinet has submitted the name of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to the nation’s rubber-stamp parliament, paving the way for his endorsement as king several weeks after his father’s death. According to procedure, the assembly speaker then has to formally invite the Crown Prince to become monarch before proclaiming the new king to the public. The prime minister said last month the prince had asked to delay the succession in order to grieve with the public. A Thai lese-majeste, or royal insult, law criminalises anything that is deemed to be an insult to the monarchy. The law has curbed public talk about the succession or criticism about the crown prince, who has spent much of his adult life abroad and does not command the same level of devotion as his father.

Source: The Guardian November 29, 2016 03:59 UTC