After the next general election, a new government will be formed within two or three months, he said.

Prayut said the election process could start next year after the four organic laws necessary for elections were completed. At present, politics is on hold under an eight-month timeframe specified for the writing of the organic laws.

There will also be royal ceremonies this year, the prime minister said, although he did not specify when. The cremation ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the coronation ceremony for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn are expected to be held later this year.

Prayut urged everyone to respect the law, adding that the new Constitution granted rights and freedoms for all, but the government still had to ensure law enforcement and prevent provocations that could lead to conflicts.

Meanwhile, Army chief General Chalermchai Sithisart said he believed the recent bombings in the far South were meant to demonstrate terrorism capabilities and might not have had anything to do with the promulgation of the new Constitution.

Forty bombing incidents took place simultaneously in the deep South after the promulgation of the charter last Thursday. It was speculated that they were meant to show opposition to the Constitution, which was rejected by voters in the three southern border provinces in the nationwide referendum last year.

Chalermchai said yesterday that he believed the attacks were launched to show the capabilities of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), an insurgent group in the far South, or to confirm that it was still active.

However, the Army chief said he was not certain whether the attacks had anything to do with the new charter. The BRN normally acts when it has a chance to cause trouble for all sides, such as people in the affected areas who suffered electricity shortages after the bombings.

Regardless of whether the attack was meant to express dissatisfaction with the new charter, Chalermchai said nothing would change and the junta would continue to follow its agenda.

In a related development, a public announcement about the so-called social contract resulting from reconciliation talks can be expected in June, Chalermchai said.

The reconciliation talks that started in mid-February were completed last week, he said. Opinions were being processed before compiling them into a contract that would be acceptable to all sides, he said.

From late this month until early May, participants will be invited to more meetings to check whether the contract is consistent with their proposals, the Army chief said.

After the Songkran holiday, the responsible panels will convene to discuss the matter again, Chalermchai said.

He said he was not worried and believed that with good intentions the country could move forward eventually.