Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul received royal permission on Friday to dissolve Parliament, setting up general elections early next year. The election for the House of Representatives would be held 45 to 60 days after the Royal Decree, a period while Anutin will head a caretaker government with limited powers and cannot approve a new budget. Anutin posted on his Facebook late on Thursday that "I'd like to return power to the people."

The move comes at a tricky political moment, as Thailand is engaged in large-scale combat with Cambodia over long-disputed border claims. About two dozen people were reported killed in the fighting this week, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides.