After dismantling democracy in a 2014 coup, the Thai military, under the new ruler, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, sought to return to constitutional rule without actually giving up power. So the army established a bicameral parliamentary system with an elected 500-member House and a military-appointed 250-member Senate. The prime minister would be elected by a simple majority in a joint session of both houses. Because the military appointed all 250 senators, pro-military parties had to win only 126 of 500 House seats to ensure that General Prayuth would be elected prime minister.
