Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will on Monday become a member of United Thai Nation (UTN) Party and address a gathering of more than 10,000 supporters to outline the party's mission and goals, said Akanat Promphan, party secretary-general on Sunday.
Gen Prayut will deliver his a first speech under the UTN banner titled "Kick-off Moment" at 6pm at the party's general assembly at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Gen Prayut, a highlight of Monday's event, will announce his stance as a potential new prime minister in the new government after the next general election which will show how Thailand will further develop under his premiership, said Mr Akanat.
The UTN, however, won't declare Gen Prayut as a prime ministerial candidate just yet as certain legal aspects of the move must first be cleared by the Election Commission (EC), whose staff will observe Monday's event to watch out for any possible violations of election law.
Nevertheless, Mr Akanat insisted Gen Prayut will be the UTN's prime ministerial candidate in the coming general election.
As for Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, Mr Akanat said, he personally thought Gen Anupong wasn't interested in joining the UTN.
Gen Anupong would instead like to work to support Gen Prayut behind the scenes as the two are known to have close ties, said Mr Akanat.
Sanhaphot Suksimuang, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, meanwhile, said Gen Prayut's new status as a core member of the UTN as well its prime ministerial candidate will affect not only PPRP but also other parties.
However, he denied media reports quoting Sayan Yutitham, a PPRP MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, as saying more than 30 more PPRP now are poised to follow Gen Prayut to the UTN.
Some sources estimate that upwards of 40 MPs may make the move, especially after the House of Representatives' term ends on Feb 28.
Mr Sanhaphot said he personally couldn't agree with the decision by the PPRP to split and hive off a new party (UTN) as it is doing.
The history of Thai politics shows that no military general-turned-PMs ever had a happy ending, except for the late Privy Council president, Prem Tinsulanonda, who knew when to step down gracefully, said Mr Sanhaphot.
