its logo to address crowds, Mr Kobsak said.

He said that although Gen Prayut can only help with the party's campaigns outside his working hours as well as on weekends, any assistance the prime minister could give would be a real boon to the party.

Chamlong Krudkhunthod, a PPRP poll candidate for Nakhon Ratchasima, said that according to the schedule, Gen Prayut will appear on stage and address people at Save One Market, the biggest commercial and retail centre in the northeastern province.

All key party executives and figures such as Mr Uttama and Suriya Juangroongruangkit, who is in charge of election strategy in the Northeast, will also take part. Gen Prayut's debut there is expected to draw more than 20,000 voters from all 14 constituencies in the province, Mr Chamlongsaid.

Activist Srisuwan Janya, deputy chief of the Civic Election Participation Partnership (CEPP), said that the network will pay special attention to Gen Prayut appearances for the PPRP.

The CEPP is a network of election watchdogs endorsed by the EC, said Mr Srisuwan, also the secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution.

The network has set up a team to monitor Gen Prayut's actions and speeches during the campaign to observe whether they are in compliance with the election law and the EC's rules on campaigning. If his actions and speeches breach the law, the CEPP will lodge complaints with the EC to ask the commission to consider legal action against him immediately, Mr Srisuwan said.

Mr Srisuwan said Gen Prayut already wears several hats -- as a prime