Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made it clear on Friday that he had no intention to stay in power to complete reforms before new elections are held.
"I can assure you that there is no need for you to be worried about the current government or the NCPO (National Council for Peace and Order). We do not wish to stay in power," he said in his weekly Returning Happiness to Thai People broadcast.
The military regime had no desire to boost its popularity to prolong power, he added.
Gen Prayut's declaration followed a call by former protest leader Suthep Thausuban for all reform issues to be completed before the country has new polls.
Mr Suthep heads the Muan Maha Prachachon (Great Mass of the People) Foundation, the successor to the People's Democratic Reform Committee that staged huge protests against the Yingluck Shinawatra government prior to the May 22 coup.
His remarks have emboldened some members of the National Reform Council (NRC), including Wanchai Sornsiri, to renew their efforts to vote down the draft constitution on Sept 7.
If the much-debated charter is voted down, the drafting process must go back to square one, which observers say would push back the timetable for elections well into 2017.
That's fine with some NRC members and Mr Suthep, who want the NCPO to remain at the helm to push through a host of reforms.
If the charter does pass the NRC and the National Legislative Assembly, and the public approves it in a referendum scheduled for January, organic laws would then be passed, followed by an election in September 2016.
The NRC was set up shortly after the coup in May last year to undertake comprehensive reform in 11 areas.
Gen Prayut said he expected that not all the reforms on the so-called roadmap could be completed under the NCPO as some were complicated and time-consuming. The rest would be handled by a new government chosen in an election, he added.
The prime minister said, however, that the new charter and related laws should bind politicians firmly to the duty of continuing the "unfinished business" of reform after they win election.
In any case, he said, the decision would be up to the voters when they go to the polling stations. They must decidfe whether or not to support political parties ready to pick up the reform torch from the military regime.
"Therefore, those who will take roles in the future government should willingly embrace and undertake reforms," he said.