Thailand’s army chief said there was “zero chance” of the Southeast Asian nation returning to a military rule in the event of post-election turmoil as politicians were set to make a final push to woo voters ahead of the election on Sunday.
Narongpan Jittkaewtae, whose term as head of the Royal Thai Army ends in five months, guaranteed that there will be no coup under his watch and that the military will remain neutral.
“I can’t confirm whether the nation will be stable going forward. This is something that every party must work together for,” said Narongpan. “But what I can confirm for sure is that there’s no chance, or zero chance” of a repeat of what happened in the past, he said when asked if there would be another putsch.
Narongpan’s comments on Thursday may ease concerns about the military stepping in once again in the event of a clear win for pro-democratic opposition parties campaigning on a platform of cash handouts as well as radical reform proposals that include ending conscription to reduce the influence of the generals in Thai politics.
Opposition parties including Pheu Thai and Move Forward have also pledged to rewrite the constitution if they dominate the 500-member House of Representatives to curb the role of the military-appointed Senate. Pheu Thai, linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has also promised to introduce an anti-coup bill.
Thailand has had a troubled relationship with democracy. Elected and military governments take turns running the country, with occasional deadly clashes and protests. The country saw 12 successful military coups since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, the last one led by incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha against Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government in 2014.
“The possibility of a coup can never be ruled out in Thailand, but it does not seem — barring extreme circumstances — the most likely outcome in the very short term,” said Peter Mumford, practice head for Southeast Asia at Eurasia Group.
On Friday, prime minister front-runners Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Pheu Thai, Prayuth, Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat and others will address supporters at rallies on the final day of campaigning.
Thailand’s election — which pits the military-led ruling coalition against the liberal opposition — has more than 6,600 candidates vying for 500 parliament seats. The elected members of the House of Representatives will decide alongside 250 senators appointed by Prayuth’s military government who the next prime minister will be from more than 60 politicians in the fray.
Pheu Thai and its allies must win at least 376 seats in the lower house to counter the likely move of senators, with tenures until 2024, to keep the old guards in place and block the opposition’s candidates for premier.
Parties will also be watching voter turnout with the meteorological department expecting continuous rainfall throughout the country as cyclone Mocha makes landfall in the north of the Bay of Bengal.
--With assistance from Philip J. Heijmans.
(Updates with analyst voice in seventh paragraph and weather forecast in last paragraph.)
