Thailand set to appoint crown prince as next king

Thailand's cabinet has acknowledged the appointment of a new king.

Lawmakers said Thailand's parliament is expected to invite Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to become the country's new monarch on Tuesday.

The prince is due to succeed his father, the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last month at the age of 88.

King Bhumibol had been the world's longest-serving head of state, and played a crucial and stabilising role during decades of often violent conflict in Thailand.

Prince Maha, who is in Germany, is expected to fly back to Thailand later this week in time for an audience with the parliament's president.

The cabinet will ask the parliament's president to invite the crown prince to become king, and he will then have to accept the invitation in order to be proclaimed monarch.

The crown prince's invitation to become the next king will likely allay some public concerns about the succession progressing smoothly.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said last month that the prince had asked to delay the succession in order to grieve with the public.

The prime minister, who took power from an elected government in a 2014 coup, has said the year-long period of mourning for the king will not affect a general election the junta has promised to hold in 2017.