Thai junta chief selected as interim PM
Updated: 2014-08-21 13:46
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||||
|
Thailand's newly appointed Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha reviews honor guards during his visit at the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, Queen's Guard in Chonburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok August 21, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] |
BANGKOK - Thailand's National Legislative Assembly (NLA), or the post-coup interim legislature, on Thursday selected junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha as the interim prime minister, the 29th PM of the country.
A total of 194 NLA members were present, with 191 of them voting for the sole candidate Prayuth and the other three, including the NLA president and two deputies, choosing to abstain.
The result will be forwarded to the king for endorsement.
Prayuth, who was absent from the voting, was selected in a roll- call vote. He was reportedly outside capital Bangkok for attending activities marking the founding of the 21st Infantry Regiment Queen's Guard.
The new PM will select up to 35 cabinet members and an interim government is expected to start operation in September.
Such a result did not come as a surprise as it has long been widely speculated that Prayuth will double as the provisional premier.
A survey, which was released a month after the army chief staged the May 22 coup to depose the civilian government, showed that a considerable portion of randomly-chosen respondents proposed Prayuth be the new premier.
In addition to members of the National Council for Peace and Order, the official name of the junta, prominent political figures like Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and Chartthaipattana Party chief adviser Banharn Silpa-archa also voiced support for Prayuth to assume the PM post.
Today's Top News
Telegram good gesture from Pope to China
Japanese firms face $200m fine
Ice Bucket Challenge hits China
Gaza ceasefire talks collapsed
Heinz recalls four batches of infant food in China
WHO says Ebola has killed more than 1,200
Japan looking to buy more stealth fighters
2 Air Force jets collide in Italy, 4 airmen missing
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Rebuilding lives |
Horrific nightmare at Kunshan factory |
Shaolin: Fists of fame |
Reading into an online age |
China helps fight international war on drugs |
Crackdown on terrorist attacks |