minister of the southeast Asian nation.
Gen Prayuth, 60, was nominated on Thursday in a legislature
hand-picked by the junta and made up of mostly military and police
figures.
The general was the head of the army when he led a dramatic coup in May.
It followed months of intense political deadlock between Yingluck
Shinawatra's government and opposition parties that resulted in
protests and clashes.
Gen Prayuth was chosen after all 197 members of Thailand's National
Assembly cast their votes on Thursday morning.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says the vote in Parliament was
little more than a formality, lasting just 15 minutes, as Gen Prayuth
was the only candidate.
The assembly's choice is expected to be approved by King Bhumibol
Adulyadej later.
Although his role is meant to be an interim one as the military has
said it will hold a general election in late 2015, our correspondent
says Gen Prayuth now wields enormous power- he also still heads the
military junta. He is expected to pick his new cabinet soon.
He has promised a root and branch reform of politics to prevent a
return to the turmoil of recent years, offering a possible restoration
of democratic rule next year.
However critics believe his real priority is to destroy the political
party of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, which has won every
election for the past 14 years, and to secure a delicate royal
succession, goals that would require a much longer democratic
timetable.
Concerns have mounted that the military is seeking to strengthen its
hold on the country.
Besides hand-picking the national assembly, the junta issued an
interim constitution in July that gives the military sweeping powers.
It is appointing a national reform council that would help to come up
with a permanent constitution that would take effect by July 2015.
But Gen Prayuth and junta officials have argued that military rule has
brought stability to Thailand following months of violent protests
between the pro- and anti-Thaksin camps.
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