Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday brushed off rumours that he will remain as prime minister if a "political accident" were to happen in the near future.
The prime ministerial candidate for the United Thai Nation Party (UTN), who was asked about the claim after his meeting with the Young Entrepreneurs Chambers of Commerce (YEC), said he had no comment on the rumours, before adding that "everything must be done according to the regulations".
"Don't talk about 'what ifs' with me. There is no 'what if'. It's speculation, isn't it? What if this? What if that? How can I answer that?" he said.
Doubts emerged if the eight-party alliance led by the Move Forward Party (MFP) will back MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat's bid to become the next prime minister and succeed in putting together a coalition government.
The bloc has 313 combined House seats, so it needs the support of at least another 63 MPs or senators to confirm Mr Pita's nomination as premier. Moreover, the MFP and Pheu Thai recently locked horns over which party should take the House speaker post, triggering speculation the alliance could fall apart.
In his meeting with the YEC representatives, Gen Prayut said the group briefed him on the success of "young public and private collaboration" (YPC) programme in the eastern region.
He said it was his government's policy to strengthen the capacity of young entrepreneurs who will play a greater role in national development and work with young generations of state officials.
The YPC programme for the eastern region included the development and promotion of processed durian in Chanthaburi, a smart mobility scheme in Chachoengsao and the development of the agricultural sector in Chon Buri in line with bio-circular-green (BCG) economic model.
