Thai army chief vows no coup as poll looms
Thai political parties made a last raucous push for votes at campaign rallies on Friday ahead of an election that could see a youth-energised opposition kick out the military-backed government. Paetongarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old leader of the main opposition Pheu Thai party, was given a rock star welcome as she returned to the campaign trail for the first time since giving birth less than two weeks ago. Voters are predicted to deliver a heavy defeat to the government of former army chief and coup leader Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, with Pheu Thai and the rival opposition Move Forward Party leading the final polls. But in a kingdom that has seen a dozen coups in the past century, there are fears the military could seek to cling on to – despite assurances from the current army chief there would be no military intervention this time. Paetongtarn, the daughter of billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra – himself ousted in a coup – arrived to an electric atmosphere at Bangkok's huge Impact arena. About 10,000 supporters clad in Pheu Thai's signature vivid scarlet colours cheered and whooped as Paetongtarn made her way to the stage. Sunday's election is a clash between the opposition, fired up by a youth-led pro-democracy movement and the older conservative royalist-military establishment embodied by Prayut. Pheu Thai, which draws on a deep well of support from rural voters in the northeast, is well ahead in the polls, but winning most seats in the lower house is no guarantee of taking power. The election is the first since the 2020 protests rocked the kingdom with unprecedented calls for reforms to the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Prayut, 69, has billed himself as the man with the experience needed to steer the country through turbulent times. In keeping with the conservative, nationalist tone of his campaign, his closing rally was more sober than Pheu Thai's, with supporters decked out in red, white and blue – the colours of the party and the Thai flag. Rights groups accuse Prayut's military-backed government of abusing the laws to crack down on dissent. Army chief General Narongpan Jitkaewthae sought to allay fears of a new putsch on Thursday, saying there would be no return to military rule and that the coups of the past were "very negative". "There shouldn't be (a coup) anymore. For me, this word should be deleted from the dictionary," he said. (AFP)