Top military general becomes Thailand’s prime minister

The army general who led the overthrow of Thailand’s elected government in May was named prime minister today by the legislature, sealing the military’s acquisition of near-absolute power in a country once considered a regional beacon of political freedom.

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha was chosen as prime minister by the National Legislative Assembly, whose members were handpicked by the junta last month. There were no dissenting votes, and Gen Prayuth, who was attending a military ceremony outside of Bangkok and was not present, was the only candidate.

Thailand has a long history of generals seizing power, but the military this time has been more aggressive in rooting out democratic institutions than after the last coup in 2006.

All forms of popular elections have been suspended, including those for local councils that first appeared well over a century ago when Thailand was still an absolute monarchy.

The ascendance this year of military power in Thailand goes against a recent trend of greater democratisation in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, which was ruled for decades by a military strongman, is the world's third most populous democracy and has weathered five presidential transitions over the past decade and a half; its president-elect, Joko Widodo, defeated a former general in the July election. Meanwhile, Thailand's western neighbour, Burma, is embracing multiparty democracy after five decades of harsh military dictatorship.

Thailand’s military says it will eventually restore democracy. But the junta has not provided a firm timetable for elections, and an interim constitution introduced by the military says that democracy, when it is restored, will be “suitable for a Thai context,” a vague qualification that has yet to be defined.

Martial law is still in effect and more than 500 people with links to political activism were detained after the coup. Most of them have since been released and the junta’s political repression is scarcely felt on the streets of Bangkok, which remain lively despite a 10 per cent drop in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country this year and an economy that shrank in the first half.

Even those skeptical of the bloodless coup admit that the military has significant support, especially among the urban middle class. The military seized power on May 22nd after six months of political stalemate brought on by protests backed by the Bangkok establishment.

The coup achieved the ultimate goal of the protesters, the removal from power of the governing party founded by the billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose movement has strong support in the provinces and has repeatedly won national elections but antagonized the Bangkok elites.

Gen Prayuth, 60, faces legally mandated retirement from the military next month; his appointment as prime minister will allow him to continue to lead the junta.