Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha showed up unannounced on Friday, April 14 as a surprise participant at the Songkran festival, one of the world’s biggest water fights, on Bangkok’s famous Khaosan Road.

Dressed in a bright Hawaiian shirt traditionally worn at the Thai New Year festival, the 69-year-old showed no signs of any dampened spirits from a slump in popularity just weeks from an election.

Videos on social media showed the former army chief, who seized power in a coup in 2014, becoming the instant target of throngs of revellers armed with buckets and water guns, wiping water constantly from his face and shooting a water gun at partygoers after taking fire from all angles, as he strolled through crowds that cheered and whistled.

Prayuth has been struggling in opinion polls ahead of the May 14 general election, with several recent national surveys showing his popularity at less than half of the frontrunner for the top job, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.