Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has formally accepted the United Thai Nation Party's nomination to become its first prime ministerial candidate, vowing that the UTN will lead the next government.
He accepted the nomination during a party seminar held yesterday to familiarise potential MP candidates with the election rules.
There, Gen Prayut was named its first PM candidate, while party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was named its second.
A party with at least 25 MPs can nominate up to three PM candidates.
Gen Prayut, who chairs the party's strategic committee, took to the podium to formally accept the nomination, declaring his readiness to return as premier and lead the next government for two more years.
Gen Prayut has only two years left to serve as PM due to term limits defined by the Constitutional Court.
The PM told the meeting yesterday that the UTN is working towards establishing itself as a political institution.
He insisted that in the next election, the UTN will not be a "side road" but the "main road", or the core party, in forming a government.
"Everyone has a role in this," he said. "We're a party that is not guided by a pursuit of self-interest."
He added the UTN, despite being a newly-established party, aims to win as many MPs as possible.
"We're no new faces here," he said. "I've been [prime minister] for many years.
"Our members are also former cabinet members and deputy prime ministers with countless achievements under our belts," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Pirapan said elections are not about choosing MPs but a national leader who will chart the course for the entire country.
He said that just as the government has carried out its pledges, the UTN will also walk the talk.
In other news from yesterday's event, Saranwut Saranket, a former Pheu Thai MP who defected to the UTN, prostrated himself apologetically before Gen Prayut.
He was seeking the premier's forgiveness for being critical of Gen Prayut during debates in parliament.
Gen Prayut said he did not begrudge the MP, saying he understood the nature of politics.