Politicians want to the regime to explain the "dos and don'ts" for political parties, after certain activities will be allowed to resume on April 1.
The ban on so-called "political activities", such as party meetings, campaigning and political gatherings, will however remain in place until further notice.
Activities which will be permitted from April will include updating party memberships.
Meanwhile, a total of 42 groups submitted applications at the Election Commission (EC) on Friday, the opening day of the registration period, to establish political parties, along with their names and logos. The period for applying to register political parties will run until the end of this month.
EC member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said yesterday the commission will invite a total of 69 established parties for a meeting on March 28.
Nikorn Chamnong, director of the Chartthaipattana Party, said existing parties had asked the EC what they may and may not do from April 1, but the EC could not provide any clear answers.
Worachai Hema, former Pheu Thai MP for Samut Prakan, also said some existing parties do not understand some of the the National Council for Peace and Order's directions.
In light of this, the EC should ask representatives of NCPO to attend the March 28 meeting to explain the dos and don'ts for existing parties.
Somsak Prissananantakul, a key Chartthaipattana Party figure, said that the turnout of 42 groups on the first day reflected a sentiment of "longing for democracy".
He also said that "new blood" from business and academic quarters seeking to form parties as an alternative to the old guard is a positive sign for the country.
Deputy Democrat Party leader Nipit Intarasombat said that opening registrations for political parties was a chance for people to let off their steam after the regime had kept a tight rein on political activities since coming to power in the May 2014 coup.
However, he did not think the 42 groups were the "real deal", with many of them only meaning to add colour to the political scene.
Setting up a party is not easy given all the tough requirements under the organic law on parties, he said.
New parties are required to elect leaders and executives, publish a manifesto and regulations, and set up provincial branches within 90 days of the lifting of the ban on political activities, whenever that may be.
EC member Mr Somchai said yesterday that it was not against the law to support Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to return as an outsider premier after the election.
He made the comments after some groups which registered as political parties with the EC said they would not rule out the possibility of supporting an "outsider" to lead after the election.
Mr Nipit, however, said that would-be parties which declare support for an outsider to become premier were "following the trend".
It was convenient for them to support Gen Prayut to make a comeback as premier because their leaders were not opposed to him.
Gen Prayut, as NCPO chief, issued a Section 44 order on Dec 22 to amend the new organic law on political parties.
The order extends certain deadlines for parties to complete processes required by the organic law governing political parties, which took effect on Oct 8.
Members of existing parties are required to confirm membership and pay membership fees between April 1-30, or they will lose their status.
Furthermore, existing parties must prove within 180 days of April 1 that they have at least 500 members, finish collecting membership fees and register seed funds of no less than 1 million baht. This is an extension of the original deadline of 180 days from Oct 8.
Meanwhile, an opinion survey has found people are more satisfied with the government in all areas but the popularity of Gen Prayut has waned.
Bangkok Poll released the results of its survey yesterday. The poll, which is conducted every six months, surveyed 1,165 people nationwide on Feb 26 and Feb 27.
The respondents rated the government's overall performance at 5.64 out of 10, up 0.37 points from the previous poll.
The improved scores were seen in all areas, led by social issues and quality of life (up 0.47) and the economy (up 0.41).
However, Gen Prayut received an average score of 6.82, down 0.18 from the previous poll.
This decline were seen in all aspects, except creativity or the ability to create new projects, which climbed to 6.19, up from 6.02 in the previous poll.
Some 45.2% of the respondents felt there had been positive developments over the past 42 months, while 30.9% thought everything was the same and 23.9% felt the situation had worsened.
