Bangkok: Thai leader Anutin Charnvirakul said late Thursday he "would like to return power to the people", a known signal in the kingdom that a prime minister intends to dissolve parliament, paving the way for fresh elections.

"I would like to return the power to the people," he wrote in a post on Facebook.

Anutin, of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, became prime minister in September after his predecessor was removed from office by the court over an ethics violation.

He earlier this year pledged to dissolve the lower house -- the formal step to call an election -- and hold a vote by early 2026.

Anutin was widely expected to dissolve parliament after Christmas. Signs of an earlier timetable come amid a reignited border conflict with Cambodia that has killed at least 20 people and displaced around 600,000, most in Thailand.

AFP