NLA picks Prayuth as premier

NLA picks Prayuth as premier

Public pin hopes on general succeeding

National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Prayuth Chan-ocha was, as expected, elected by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) as the country's 29th prime minister Thursday.

Many members of the public hope that one year from now Gen Prayuth will have measured up to the tough task of steering the country forward and successfully resolving a host of political, economic and social problems that lie ahead.

The NLA voted 191-0 with three abstentions approving the nomination of Gen Prayuth as interim prime minister.

From a total 197 NLA members, 194 attended Thursday's session to choose a premier.

Tuang Anthachai, an NLA member, formally nominated Gen Prayuth. No other candidates were nominated.

Gen Prayuth's nomination was seconded by 188 members, far more than the one-fifth of members required.

The NLA members then voted using a roll-call.

Of the 194 members present at Thursday's meeting, 191 voted to approve the nomination without questions. The three abstentions were the NLA president and two vice-presidents.

The Senate secretariat, which also serves as the NLA's secretariat, forwarded Gen Prayuth's nomination as prime minister to the Office of His Majesty′s Principal Private Secretary to submit it for royal endorsement, Senate secretary-general Norarat Pimsen said following the vote.

The Senate secretariat had checked Gen Prayuth's qualifications before seeking the royal appointment, Ms Norarat said.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said Gen Prayuth's performance will be judged on how successful he is in implementing political reform.

Gen Prayuth seems pleased after getting the news that a unanimous vote of his National Legislative Assembly has nominated him as prime minister. (Photos by Pattanapong Hirunard)

The new prime minister must have a clear purpose of political reform and make concrete changes that bring the country to normalcy, Mr Abhisit said.

Mr Abhisit also said Gen Prayuth and his interim government must push for infrastructure projects, help the economy in rural areas by boosting people's purchasing power, as well as deal with corruption in several projects that have damaged the economy.

Wuthisarn Tanchai, King Prajadhipok's Institute deputy secretary-general, said the public will have high expectations of Gen Prayuth as a prime minister as they do with him as the NCPO chief.

However, the new interim premier will have to take on a more collective role as he must work with other cabinet ministers, and the NLA.

This is in contrast with his role as NCPO chief who is a sovereign entity, Mr Wuthisarn said. Gen Prayuth must also listen to people who hold different views, he said.

"The people hope Gen Prayuth will listen to different views. It doesn't mean those who have different views will overthrow you, because they cannot do so anyway," Mr Wuthisarn said.

Chaiwat Khamchu, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University,  warned people not to expect too much since Gen Prayuth only has a year to run the country.

Gen Prayuth himself admitted the public should not expect him to solve all the country's problems in a year, Mr Chaiwat said.

"The problems that have plagued the country for a decade cannot be solved in a short time. Gen Prayuth is an ordinary person, not a superman," Mr Chaiwat said.

Supachai Panitchpakdi, former secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, said the new prime minister must appoint capable people to the cabinet to pursue effective economic and social policies.

Many existing laws also need to be revised to promote transport, trade, investment and consumer protection as well as connectivity to the Asean market, Mr Supachai said.

Supant Monkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said he believed the future of Thailand will be safe under an interim government led by Gen Prayuth.

The interim government should step up efforts to help SMEs and boost the country's competitiveness before the formation of the Asean Economic Community by the end of 2015.

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, on the verge of becoming Thailand's 29th prime minister, waves Thursday before boarding a helicopter at the 64th anniversary ceremony of the 21st Infantry Regiment in Chon Buri province.

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