Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has received royal permission to dissolve parliament and schedule a general election early next year, the Associated Press reported.
The election for the House of Representatives will be held 45 to 60 days after the royal decree, a period during which Anutin will head an interim government with limited powers and will not be able to approve a new budget.
Anutin posted on his Facebook account late yesterday evening: "I want to return power to the people".
The move comes at a difficult political time, as Thailand is embroiled in large-scale fighting with Cambodia over long-standing border disputes.
According to reports, about two dozen people are killed in fighting this week, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced on both sides of the border.