Thai PM Srettha seeks longevity as political factions bide time

BANGKOK -- Fully 29 portraits line the grand foyer of Bangkok's Government House. Thailand's ex-prime ministers from the very first in 1932 to the most recently departed -- including 14 military top brass and one woman -- are arranged in two orderly rows, awaiting the 30th member of the exclusive club.

How long it will take for Srettha Thavisin to join them is the subject of no little speculation across the country. Even the most generous speculators give him two years in office -- just half of a full four-year term. The most skeptical say he will be forced to step down by mid-2024 if his flagship economic stimulus policy fails.