Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon will step into the hot seat should Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha complete his eight-year term in office in August, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told reporters on Monday.
Mr Wissanu was responding to a question about the possibility of a nayok samrong ("PM in reserve") which surfaced last week following an interview given last week by Gen Prawit about the Palang Pracharath Party's (PPRP) prime ministerial candidates in the next election.
Mr Wissanu, a legal specialist, said he had not heard the term nayok samrong used in such a context before, but pointed out that there would be nothing unusual about Gen Prawit, who is "next in line", becoming the acting prime minister if Gen Prayut has no choice but to vacate the position in August.
