(Bloomberg) -- Thailand's legislature will invite Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to become the 10th king in the Chakri Dynasty, the latest step in naming the country's first new monarch in seven decades.
"I will invite the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne, becoming king based on the constitution," said Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, president of the National Legislative Assembly, the unelected body installed by the junta that seized control of Thailand in a 2014 coup. He spoke Tuesday in a special session of parliament.
Vajiralongkorn, 64, is the only son and designated heir of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died Oct. 13 at age 88. It was unclear when Vajiralongkorn would accept the invitation and when the legislature would formally proclaim him king.
Junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha said last month that Vajiralongkorn wanted time to mourn before taking the throne. The parliamentary procedures surrounding succession are a formality mandated under Thailand's constitution.
Vajiralongkorn, a career soldier, will inherit control of a fortune worth tens of billions of dollars. He will replace the only king most Thais alive today have ever known and one seen as a symbol of continuity during a reign marked by dozens of changes in prime minister and 10 coups.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, a senior member of the junta, told reporters earlier Tuesday that there would likely be a meeting with the crown prince in the next day or two. He did not specify who would attend the meeting or what it would be about.
Vajiralongkorn has yet to comment publicly since his father's death, though he has participated in royal funeral ceremonies.
Once he is proclaimed king Vajiralongkorn will immediately take on the role of head of state under Thailand's constitutional monarchy, and all legislation will require his seal of approval. Still, the government has indicated that his formal coronation ceremony will not be held until after the declared year of mourning for Bhumibol is complete and his cremation has taken place.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Chris Blake in Bangkok at cblake28@bloomberg.net, Supunnabul Suwannakij in Bangkok at ssuwannakij@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Jason Koutsoukis, Sunil Jagtiani
With assistance from Chris Blake, Supunnabul Suwannakij
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