This week, junta leader and Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha appeared to present himself as a more generous man. After having forbidden parties from holding political activities for almost four years, he has invited them to gather at a June meeting which will be planned, facilitated and possibly dominated by him. The move is, however, ill-advised and lacks substance. It will not be useful for anyone but it demonstrates the regime's desire to further exert control over post-election politics.
Gen Prayut seemed to have no detailed reason at hand when telling the media on Tuesday why he wanted the meeting with politicians from all camps. Discussing a poll date and hearing political parties' plans to solve "the country's problems" are part of his goals at this loosely planned gathering.
In fact, setting a date for a general election is a job to be decided by both the Election Commission and the government itself, and a determining factor is the promulgation date of the two organic laws on the elections of MPs and senators. If the two laws take effect in June, given that certain contentious points in them are not ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court, then a poll date has to be set within eight months or by February next year -- the timeline promised by Gen Prayut himself.
