BANGKOK -- After being officially proclaimed prime minister of Thailand by King Maha Vajiralongkorn on June 11, Prayuth Chan-ocha thanked parliament and ruling coalition parties for giving him the opportunity to serve the country.
During the two and a half months since the March general election, including a three-day coronation for the monarch in early May, Prayuth, a former general who was interim prime minister during the years of military rule, had to form a coalition to cement his leadership. But he won hands down in parliament in the vote for prime minister on June 5, thanks to a new constitution drafted by the junta and approved in an April 2017 referendum.
