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Thai junta chief vows to 'do his best' as civilian

This article is more than 12 months old

BANGKOK : Thailand's junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday called for national unity and thanked members of parliament after they voted him in as a civilian prime minister, five years after he seized power in a military coup.

General Prayuth easily defeated Mr Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a charismatic political newcomer, by 500-244 votes in a combined ballot by both houses of parliament, one of which was entirely appointed in a process controlled by the junta.

The late Wednesday vote followed a general election on March 24, the first since General Prayuth's 2014 coup, when he ousted an elected government and ushered in a phase of strict military rule.

The Democratic Front of seven parties that voted for Mr Thanathorn said the electoral system was designed to extend and legitimise military domination of civilian government.

The newly endorsed prime minister wanted all Thais to join hands with him to take the country forward, a government spokesman said.

He would now "do his best for the nation, religion, monarchy, and the people", said the spokesman, Lieutenant General Werachon Sukondhapatipak.

General Prayuth will lead an unwieldy 19-party coalition government that has a slim majority in the lower House of Representatives, but could be vulnerable to defections and infighting.

Some Thais were unhappy by the vote, with hashtag #RIPTHAILAND and #NotMyPM trending on Thai twitter in the aftermath of Prayuth's confirmation.

"I was disappointed because I'm part of a new generation and I hope that the country could move forward to be better than it is now," Suchanya Boonchu, 19, told Reuters.

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