Social critic Thirayuth Boonmi yesterday took aim at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), saying the regime intends to cling to power for a long time and that it is highly likely that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will return as the premier after the poll next year.
The regime's desire to prolong its hold on power manifested itself after the draft charter written by a panel led by Borwornsak Uwanno, was tossed out and replaced with a new version formulated by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), chaired by Meechai Ruchupan, according to Mr Thirayuth.
Under the Meechai panel's constitution, political parties are allowed to nominate prime minister candidates who are neither constituency nor list MPs, he said.
The academic went on to say that under the charter the 250 senators who were chosen by the NCPO would be empowered to pick the prime minister.
The regime is also enticing politicians into the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which is expected to support Gen Prayut's return as premier after the poll, without listening to any criticism.
"It is almost 100% guaranteed that Gen Prayut will become the next prime minister," said Mr Thirayuth, a former lecturer at Thammasat University's Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, who is also a fervent critic of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Thirayuth said that some groups want to use the government's strength to weaken society so no one will intrude on their business dealings.
These groups believe that as long as the military ensures political stability, strengthens bureaucratic power and lets influential business groups wield unlimited power, the country will remain stable, and the economy can move forward, he said.
"In the future, Thai politics will be a democracy dominated by the military, civil servants, intellectual elites and major capitalists," said Mr Thirayuth.
"In the end, Gen Prayut will be able to form a government, but its legitimacy will be questionable as the conflicts of interest between the military, civil servants, conservative groups and major capitalists become clearer," said Mr Thirayuth.
Like deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the regime has sought ways to gain the upper hand ahead of the poll, by discrediting political opponents, arresting and prosecuting them, Mr Thirayuth charged.
The academic said the regime is using populist schemes -- which include cash handouts, tax breaks, free SIM cards and train rides -- to court public support, similar to what the Thaksin administration did ahead of the 2001 election.
Mr Thirayuth said he wants to appeal to Gen Prayut and the armed forces to prevent anyone from abusing the law or their power to prevent the upcoming election from being seen as "dirty".
He also said that it is important to accept differing opinions, and efforts must be made to seek discussion, reconciliation and amendments to various for the betterment of the country.
"This could be a chance for the government to run the country legitimately," said Mr Thirayuth.
Mr Thirayuth made the remarks in a speech on Thai politics after the election, at the Oct 14 Memorial on Ratchadamnoen Avenue yesterday.
Referring to the upcoming election, the lecturer said that it is important to ensure people's freedom of expression.
Gen Prayut must be fair and open-minded ahead of the poll, he said.
He underscored the strong possibility of Gen Prayut returning as premier after the election, as the PPRP only needs 125 or 126 MPs, plus the 250 senators picked by the regime, to form a government.
"In political circles, getting 125 MPs is not impossible," said Mr Thirayuth.
Government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta yesterday dismissed allegations that the administration is "dirtying" the election, saying no one can manipulate anything.
"People will be the ones who decide. No one should look down on people but they must give them a chance to choose and make their own decisions," said Mr Buddhipongse.
"If someone was thinking about prolonging their power, why would the poll need to be held since no one would be able to give orders or impose any rules?" the spokesman said.
He insisted the Election Commission (EC) is duty-bound to follow through on election rules and there is no one that can interfere with their work, he said.
Touching on the Prayut administration's support of its much-touted Thailand 4.0 economic strategy, Mr Thirayuth said the country has yet to see improvements materialise in various important areas, such as human resource development, innovation and research.
"The government has tried to say it will leave no one behind, but in fact it only helps a small group of privileged people," said Mr Thirayuth.
Referring to government packages criticised for being designed for political gain, Mr Buddhipongse stressed they were focused on the poor, having been formulated using survey results.
The government took into account people's needs and focused money on areas such as utility bills and travel expenses, he added.