A Thai court on Friday will decide whether to reinstate suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha or permanently oust him from office, with a ruling in his favor likely to spark protests.

The former army chief, who came to power in a military coup in 2014, was suspended last month while the court considered a legal challenge from opposition parties who claimed he had reached his term limit.

Under Thailand’s 2017 constitution, a prime minister cannot last more than eight years, but Prayut’s supporters and critics disagree on when his term began.

The court ruling is expected to be announced at 15:00 (0800 GMT) on Friday.

His supporters argue that the period began when the 2017 constitution was passed — or even after the 2019 general election, in which Prayut stayed in power thanks to army-written constitutional provisions that critics say give him an advantage procured.

If the court agrees, he could continue serving until 2025 or 2027 – depending on an upcoming national poll, which has to happen within months.

Naresuan University political scientist Napisa Waitoolkiat said she expected the verdict to be in Prayut’s favour.

“The chance that he survives is really very high,” she told the AFP news agency before Friday’s verdict.

Following Prayuth’s suspension in August, his deputy, Prawit Wongsuwan, took over as acting prime minister, while Prayuth continued as defense minister.

The suspension caused Prayuth tremendous damage, Napisa said, causing him to “lose face” in the eyes of voters.

The verdict comes ahead of national elections, which are due to be held by March 2023.

Prayut and his Palang Pracharat party are increasingly out of favor with voters as an underperforming Thai economy hurts households.

A National Institute of Development Administration poll of 2,500 people earlier this month found that just 10.5 percent of respondents supported Prayut, who ranked a low fourth as a potential prime ministerial candidate.

If the court ruling goes in his favor, the city could see protests, Napisa said.

“I think there will be street protests and demonstrations in Bangkok against the verdict,” Napisa said.

At least three protest groups – which rose to prominence during the massive pro-democracy rallies of 2020 – said Thursday they would demonstrate should Prayuth win.

Deputy national police spokeswoman Kissana Phathanacharoen said AFP officers were being deployed to provide security near the court and in Bangkok’s shopping district, a popular spot for previous protests.

Meanwhile, officials announced late Thursday that there would be a restricted zone around the court.