Key political figures on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's commitment to restoring democracy to the country and urged him to keep his word that a general election will take place next year.
The call came after Gen Prayut confirmed on Wednesday that a number of organic laws tied to the new charter, which received royal endorsement a week ago, would be enacted in time for the election process to start, hopefully early next year.
Democrat deputy leader Nipit Intarasombat said the prime minister's words should guarantee that the two organic bills governing political parties and the Election Commission (EC) would be passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) by the required deadline.
He said fresh elections can only be held next year if the bills take effect. The charter does not provide a clear roadmap for what to do if they are not enacted, he added. However, Mr Nipit said the time frame outlined by Gen Prayut could be shortened if everyone involved accelerated their efforts.
Another Democrat deputy leader, Sathit Pitutecha, said he did not expect the prime minister to backpedal on his commitments. He also called on the government to clarify its priorities and focus on important issues such as stamping out corruption.
Meanwhile, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the government to take as much time as it needs to prepare properly for an election. He also called on the public to keep a watchful eye on any new mechanisms introduced in the charter, including the role of those appointed to the Senate. He said public participation is essential to ensuring these mechanisms address the kinds of problems they were designed to handle in the right way.
"I've been saying the problems do not lie with the charter, but with the people," he said. "If politicians don't change, there is no guarantee the problems will be tackled. It's important that we also watch out for any newly introduced mechanisms [in the constitution]."
The appointed Senate will enjoy increased powers but proper public scrutiny should help curtail any abuse of authority, he added. Some critics of this change to the constitution worry the appointed Senate will have too much room to manoeuvre given that it makes up one-third of the entire legislature and is fully under the purview of the military.
They say the regime will only need 126 of 500 Lower-House MPs to gather a simple majority and win key votes on issues, including the selection of the prime minister after the election.
With the Senate feared to be under military control, agencies promoting accountability may be subservient to military prerogatives, they said, adding that one of the provisions in the charter allows the Senate to play a crucial role in picking an "outsider" for the role of prime minister.
"They [senators] should respect the decision of the public," Mr Abhisit said. "Even though they can join a vote to select the prime minister, they can't join the MPs on every key issue. If they vote to select a prime minister who is unacceptable to the House, it will create conflict."
Also Thursday, Gen Panlop Pinmanee, a former adviser to former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, urged the regime not to cling on to its former powers but embrace change. He backed the roadmap transition back to democracy but urged it to bring the political situation back to normal as soon as possible.