6 june
Thailand's parliament has elected former army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha, who led the interim government, as prime minister.
In the lower house election held in March, the Pheu Thai Party, linked to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won the most seats. The pro-military Palang Pracharath Party took second place.
On Wednesday, votes were cast by 497 lower house lawmakers and 250 upper house members, who were essentially handpicked by the military.
Prayut won nearly 70 percent of the vote against his rival Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who was backed by Thaksin supporters and others.
The new government is likely to be launched this month, returning Thailand to civilian rule five years after the military coup.
Even so, the military is still expected to exert strong influence over Thai politics.
But observers say Prayut will have to be careful about running his government as the ruling coalition consists of 19 parties and only has a slender majority in the lower house.
NHK
