UPDATE - Thailand invites crown prince to take throne

UPDATES TO ADD BACKGROUND ON PRINCE, FATHER

By Arun Saronchai

BANGKOK (AA) - Thailand’s parliament began the procedure for royal succession Tuesday, signaling the imminent ascension of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to the throne.

In a televised special session, the president of the legislature, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, told the assembly that parliament had received an earlier cabinet motion asking for the procedure to begin.

"As I have informed the assembly of the cabinet's decision, I will now invite the heir, Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, to ascend to the throne of the people of Thailand," he said.

The special session, which lasted five minutes, ended with Pornpetch leading the legislature in stating "Long Live the King!"

Pornpetch will now seek an audience with Vajiralongkorn to formally invite him to ascend the throne.

Vajiralongkorn has asked for time to mourn King Bhumibol Adulyadejr -- who died Oct. 13 at the age of 88 after suffering a long illness -- before he assumes the crown.

He does not, however, enjoy the same popularity as his father, whose 70-year reign was seen as a controlling factor in the kingdom's turbulent political history.

One of the first task for the newly crowned monarch will be to endorse a constitution drafted by Thailand’s military government which will pave the way for elections in 2017.

Royal sources told Anadolu Agency that the prince is currently abroad in Germany, where he spends most of his time and his youngest son attends school, but he is due to return to the kingdom Wednesday.

The sources did not wish to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation and Thailand's strict lese majeste law.