Thailand's opposition alliance to nominate rising star Thanathorn as PM

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party flashes a three-finger salute to his supporters as he leaves a police station after hearing a sedition complaint filed by the army in Bangkok

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's anti-military Democratic Front alliance will on Wednesday nominate rising political star Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit for prime minister, facing off against junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, a spokeswoman said.

The scheduled vote for a new prime minister comes five years after then-army chief Prayuth seized power from an elected government in 2014.

Thanathorn, leader of the opposition Future Forward Party, entered politics just last year and his party came in third in elections in March.

"The seven democratic parties coalition have jointly decided to nominate Thanathorn for the prime minister's vote tomorrow," Pannika Wanich, spokeswoman for Future Forward, told Reuters.

Thanathorn faces at least two criminal charges of sedition and cybercrime for allegedly aiding anti-junta protesters shortly after the coup and for a critical speech on Facebook - charges he has characterized as politically motivated.

(Writing by Kay Johnson)