Thai king opens parliament two months after elections

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida presided over the opening ceremony for the new Parliament on Friday (May 24), which came two months after the country's first general election since the 2014 coup.

The king urged members of Parliament to work with prudence and honesty in a brief speech.

"Please be aware that all your actions could affect national security and lead to happiness or suffering of the people," the 66-year-old king said in an address to the assembly.

Parliament will choose a new prime minister, who will form a cabinet likely next month, but its exact makeup is not yet known after a March 24 election produced no clear winner.

Following the ceremony, the rubber-stamp Senate is scheduled to convene for the first time to choose its Speaker and deputies late on Friday.

The Thai parliament combines a 500-member House of Representatives elected in the March 24 polls and 250 senators, who were entirely appointed by the junta.

All the 250 senators were recently hand-picked by the ruling military regime and approved by the king.

Among many close allies of the regime selected were junta leader Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's brother, the army chief and the police chief.

The senators will play a crucial role in enabling Prayut to remain in power, as they will vote for the prime minister together with almost 500 elected lawmakers in Parliament next week.

After five years under repressive military rule and several delays, Thais finally got to vote on March 24.

Ambassadors, junta members, and members of the king’s Privy Council were also present at the convention, which came a day after an anti-junta party leader was suspended as a member of parliament over his alleged illegal holding of shares in a media company after registering as a candidate for the election.

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the youth-oriented Future Forward Party, would be suspended from taking his seat until a ruling by the Constitutional Court, which could see him permanently disqualified.

Thanathorn has denied the charge and said he had already transferred his shares before he officially registered.