‘No coup’, says Thai army chief as election looms FMTNews FMTWorld
BANGKOK: Thailand’s army chief has pledged not to stage a coup, as political parties geared up for final campaign rallies on Friday ahead of an election that could see the military-backed government voted out.
But Narongpan told reporters on Thursday there would be no return to military rule, saying that the coups of the past were “very negative”.Sunday’s election is a clash between the opposition led by Pheu Thai, fronted by the 36-year-old daughter of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and the older conservative royalist-military establishment embodied by Prayut.
Pheu Thai is urging supporters to deliver a landslide victory to stop the military from keeping them out of power, as happened in 2019 when Prayut rode senate support to become prime minister at the head of a complex multi-party coalition. Pheu Thai’s main opposition rival, the Move Forward Party, appears to have harnessed much of the energy of the youth-led protest movement, which voiced deep disaffection with the old political system.
An unclear or disputed election result could lead to a fresh round of demonstrations and instability, further hampering the tourism-dependent country’s already sluggish recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
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