Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha formally resigned as the head of the military government on July 15, saying Thailand will now function as a normal democracy after five years of military rule.
Prayut, in a national televised address, said military rule had brought success in many areas, from tackling illegal fishing and human trafficking, to the rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped in a flooded cave last year.
Thailand is now fully a democratic country with a constitutional monarchy, with a parliament whose members are elected, the PM said. All problems will be addressed normally based on a democratic system with no use of special powers, he added.
Last week, Prayut used those powers for one last time to end restrictions on media and at the same time, transferred civilian legal cases from military to civilian court, sweeping powers the military government had wielded.
Members of the House of Representatives and Senate of Thailand on June 5 voted Prayut of the Palang Pracharath Party as prime minister of the country.
After more than 10 hours of debate among MPs and senators, Prayut received a total of 500 votes, returning as PM for a second term after a five-year term since the military coup in 2014.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn last week endorsed Prayut's new civilian cabinet, in which the PM also assumes the post of defence minister.
Prayut will lead all cabinet ministers in a swear-in ceremony during an audience with the monarch before taking office on July 16.
The general election in Thailand, the first since the 2014 coup, took place on March 24.-VNA
VNA
