THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Signs Prayut has plans to extend his tenure, opponents claim

Signs Prayut has plans to extend his tenure, opponents claim

The anti-coup activist group New Democracy Movement (NDM) yesterday warned the head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to “watch out” for his declining popularity - resulting from the leader’s alleged moves to cling to power.

NDM key figure Rangsiman Romec was speaking on the one-month anniversary of the August 7 referendum on the charter draft. 
Rangsiman, 24, said only a month after the referendum approval, there were signs Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha would try to prolong his tenure. 
“A new political party [Paiboon Nititawan’s People’s Reform Party] has been formed, apparently to push Prayut to take the helm again and the general has not [denied] that speculation,” said the activist.
Another sign of Prayut’s ambition, he added, was the National Legislative Assembly’s move to support the military-appointed Senate to be eligible for nominating prime ministerial candidates.
Rangsiman said the NLA’s proposal was not in line with the approved referendum’s extra question, which the public understood permitted only the Senate to jointly select a premier. 
Meanwhile, Rome claimed, an additional 30 NLA members would be appointed and a 20-year strategy put in place to carry on the junta’s intentions.
“What Prayut does will determine the extent of his popularity. Personally, I believe the people’s support for Prayut will decline because of his actions [to further take control of the office].”
Though the majority accepted the draft charter, Rangsiman said, Prayut could not claim the referendum results to legitimise his prolonged tenure because the endorsement did not mean the people wanted him to further take over the country. 
Rome said as the organic laws were still being drafted, the NDM would closely monitor the process and inform the public.
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