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BANGKOK Eleven months after overthrowing a democratically elected government, the military junta that seized control of Thailand is growing comfortable in power and many Thais, battered by 15 stormy years of democracy, are not complaining.

The junta has given Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief-turned-prime minister, almost unbridled power and has let its road map for returning to a system of Thai-style democracy, involving a new constitution and elections, veer off course. Officials are talking about a poll in early 2016, though recent murmurs suggest they may need two or three years to return stability to Thailand, a U.S. ally that once had one of the most dynamic and competitive economies in Southeast Asia.

If the situation remains like this, I can tell you that I will hold onto power for a long time, Prayuth told reporters late last month. Why is there all this fuss about elections?

Will anyone die if there are no elections? he asked.

The opposition is lying low, figuring the best way to be effective is to give the generals enough rope to hang themselves; on the streets of Bangkok, there is little discernible dissatisfaction with Prayuths putsch.

I think General Prayuth is what we need right now. We need someone whos going to be strong, a coffee vendor in central Bangkok said as she mixed condensed milk into the strong brew at her cart. She spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of getting in trouble, even as she spoke positively of the juntas actions.

Anyway, we really dont have a choice. All those politicians are not an alternative. They are not qualified for the job, she said, waving her hand dismissively at the mere mention of the various parties that have been jockeying for power.

Many Thais are disillusioned with democracy after the Shinawatras: Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire who won election as prime minister in 2001 but was overthrown in 2006 and fled into exile amid allegations of widespread corruption, and his sister (and proxy) Yingluck Shinawatra, who Prayuth ousted in May. Yingluck has since been impeached and banned from politics for five years.

Thaksin remains a polarizing figure. He is viewed by his opponents as corrupt and, as Matthew Wheeler of the International Crisis Group characterizes it, as being the incarnation of all the dangers of democracy.

Indeed, after two coups in a decade and chaotic protests on the streets of Bangkok, many people are relieved that there is stability and relative calm. And for people like the coffee vendor, a mother of three trying to make ends meet, the new security rules have no effect on daily life.

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Thai junta enjoys absolute power as opposition quietly bides its time