Thailand's top general has been appointed prime minister, two months after overthrowing the elected government.



General Prayuth Chan-ocha was the only candidate. He was chosen by a legislature predominantly made up of military and police figures, in a vote lasting barely 15 minutes.



He said the May coup, and the imposition of martial law, were necessary to end years of political turbulance and violent protests.



Prayuth took over as head of the army in October 2010. He was seen then as a hardline royalist, and opposed to the Red Shirt movement that has largely backed the governments of Thaksin Shinawatra, and his sister Yingluck.



His first task now is to appoint a cabinet to oversee the establishment of a 250-member reform council. This council will be charged with writing a new constitution, to take effect in July next year. That's intended to pave the way for a general election in late 2015.



Critics though are concerned the military is seeking to strengthen its hold on the country.



So will the takeover signal an era or repression or new age of democratic reform?



Presenter: Laura Kyle



Guests :

Nattakorn Devakula - a political analyst for the Thai programme, The Daily Dose, and a former independent candidate for Bangkok governor.



Tim Forsyth - a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a South East Asia specialist.



Saksith Saiyasombut- a political blogger and founding member of Siam Voices.

Source: Al Jazeera