Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday he would use a special order that gives the military sweeping powers to lift a ban on political activity that has been in place since a 2014 coup, paving the way for a 2018 general election.
Major political parties had been urging the government for months to lift the ban to allow parties to prepare for the vote, according to a Reuters report.
Prayuth, who is also head of the junta, has said that Thailand will hold an election in November 2018 - news that was largely welcomed by investors in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.
