Thailand's PM says needs a little more time in office to prepare for vote

 

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha sits in his car after arriving at Air Force Station Palam in New Delhi, January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he needed a little more time in office to prepare the country for a general election, just days after his deputy said a vote planned for this year could be delayed.

 

Prayuth, installed as prime minister in August 2014 after leading a coup that ousted a civilian government, has delayed the date of a general election several times. Most recently, he said an election would take place in November.

 

But last week Thailand's parliamentary body voted to postpone enforcement of a new election law by 90 days, dragging out the timeframe. At the time, the deputy prime minister said parliament's decision could delay the election until 2019. [nL4N1PK1VN]

 

"Please give me some time to lay the foundation for the country, that's all," Prayuth told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

 

"The length of this time depends on the law," he said, referring to last week's parliamentary decision.

 

He did not give further details.

 

Prayuth is under pressure at home and abroad to return to civilian governance.

 

On Saturday, activists demanding an election this year gathered at a pedestrian bridge in central Bangkok, in a rare show of dissent.

 

Government critics say the junta is deliberately delaying the vote in order to tighten its grip on power by ensuring that its allies win the vote.

 

Some critics say Prayuth would like to stay in power after a general election. Thailand's new constitution, which took effect last year, allows for an appointed prime minister.

 

Others have warned the junta needs to return Thailand to civilian rule within its promised timeframe, or risk fanning flames of discontent.

 

Prayuth addressed questions about waning public support.

 

"This is normal. Any government in their third year all encounter this," he said on Tuesday.

 

(Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-1-30

is that time in a geological sense?

Just how much time do U want unelected Junta Prime Minister,  you've back flipped on this issue more times than a acrobatic clown in a circus, it is getting to the point where yourself or your unelected Mininsters cannot be believed nor thrusted........................................

Just until hell freezes over aparently

Quote

He is the king of utter BS. 

 

Have any of the papers done a head count as to who will support the General and who won't. It sounds as though he is not coming first in the preferences for the leaders job?

46 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"The length of this time depends on the law,"

Isn't it nice when you can write your own laws!

46 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

"Please give me some time to lay the foundation for the country, that's all," Prayuth told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

 

What a bunch of crap. If 4 years and 9 months aren't enough, no amount of time will be. The excuses will be literally never ending until the public finally stand up and tell them to clear off.

Just havn't quite got enough for the jet.....

31 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

 

On the contrary, he is the king of all that he purveys. Absolutely no one has defied him in 4yrs except for 10-12 students, in a country of over 70 million. Which is why he and his cohorts feel so comfortable and confident of stretching it longer.

5 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Just havn't quite got enough for the jet.....

Or the coffers are empty and China wants to be paid for the Sub. 

On the contrary, he is the king of all that he purveys. Absolutely no one has defied him in 4yrs except for 10-12 students, in a country of over 70 million. Which is why he and his cohorts feel so comfortable and confident of stretching it longer.

They did defy him at first but those taken away for "attitude adjustment" understandably didn't last long.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

He did not give further details.

he doesnt have any;

this guy is truly tiresome

2 minutes ago, johng said:

They did defy him at first but those taken away for "attitude adjustment" understandably didn't last long.

Some passive resistance maybe.

If huge numbers of people took to wearing T-Shirts of an agreed anti-junta colour.

Or with logos 1789, 1917, 1932, pigs with wristwatches - so many ideas with some plausible deniability.

Public readings of Emperor's New Clothes - presumably less than 7 per group.

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he needed a little more time in office to prepare the country for a general election, just days after his deputy said a vote planned for this year could be delayed.

Hey Prayuth, a little more time for your deputy to collect some more watches is exactly what you don't need. You had your chance to deal with the cancer and chose not to. You are finished and rightfully so. People will put up with a lot but not everything.

1 hour ago, Chris Lawrence said:

Have any of the papers done a head count as to who will support the General and who won't. It sounds as though he is not coming first in the preferences for the leaders job?

It doesn't matter. If there is any counting to be done, he will be doing it anyway.

I don’t think I have ever believed a politician less than I believe this guy.

 

Whatever he says, I believe the opposite and I’m always correct. Kind of like that Seinfeld episode with George Costanza.

come back in 5 years same comment

PM admits his government’s declining popularity

By Thai PBS

 

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday (Jan 30) admitted the decline in the popularity of his government and the National Council for Peace and Order, but argued that it was the same with any governments in their final year in the office.

 

During the past three years in the office, the prime minister admitted that there were conflicts between groups of people who might benefit or might not benefit from the conflicts, but as far as the government was concerned, he said the government had and would stay clear of those conflicts.

 

He reiterated that the election would be held in accordance with the roadmap on the condition that there is no problem regarding legal process.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-admits-governments-declining-popularity/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-01-31

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Please give me some time to lay the foundation for the country, that's all," Prayuth told reporters

In construction if anyone asked for an EOT during foundation phase they would be kicked straight off the job

34 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Uncle Too you have the political cycle all wrong. Smart governments fall in popularity mid term as they do unpopular things to get their agenda through and then do something about it towards the end of their term so they can get re-elected. 

 

Oh wait! This applies elected governments that are planning to go to an election.

We are just getting to mid term.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he needed a little more time in office to prepare the country for a general election, just days after his deputy said a vote planned for this year could be delayed.

 

https://streamable.com/ydynw

He just needs a little more time to prepare his offshore accounts for the little time he has left to plunder the state coffers

13 hours ago, baboon said:

What a bunch of crap. If 4 years and 9 months aren't enough, no amount of time will be. The excuses will be literally never ending until the public finally stand up and tell them to clear off.

Almost all countries only need a maximum of about 3 months to prepare for an election. Saing he needs time to prepare the country is just another way of him campaigning without opposition. Signs of unrest are growing now day by day. As for quoting the constitution it is laughable as it was prepared by an unelected government and therefore invalid and has no relevence to the population.

14 hours ago, chainarong said:

Just how much time do U want unelected Junta Prime Minister,  you've back flipped on this issue more times than a acrobatic clown in a circus, it is getting to the point where yourself or your unelected Mininsters cannot be believed nor thrusted........................................

Like the ousted government, which was also not elected but formed in parliament, could be believed and/or trusted?

2 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Like the ousted government, which was also not elected but formed in parliament, could be believed and/or trusted?

Hansnl we've only got one subject, if we included all the other parameters we'd be here all day , Thailand has one big problem brought on itself by not having proper checks and balances not token one's,  in the making of rules and legislation, why should they when they can milk the pig for what it's worth, with proper checks and balances they can't

19 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Like the ousted government, which was also not elected but formed in parliament, could be believed and/or trusted?

I don t remember the ousted government the way you do. They were elected and the elected members of parliment formed a government.

I don t remember the ousted government using tanks, do you?

Perhaps the delay is to allow the PM to satisfy the election deadline he already missed. There was to be registration 180 days prior to the election and that deadline elapsed without his registration. Now by tacking on an additional 90 days, he can correct his failure to register to run in the polls. 

When you make the rules it becomes quite easy to satisfy them. 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's PM says needs a little more time in office to prepare for vote

Isn't it the Election Commission that carries out the election? Not a word from them in regard to needing more time for preparation.

The PM's role is simply to concur with the EC as to the election date. But that date must comply with the Constitution and the laws! Prayut's time in office is irrelevant.

 

Unless of course he needs more time to plan for his own election. That would be such a great way to return Thailand to democracy - through abuse of power!

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Please give me some time to lay the foundation for the country, that's all," Prayuth told reporters

 

After nearly four years he's yet to start on the foundation?