New Thailand PM 'next week'

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New Thailand PM 'next week' 
Bangkok Post: 10 Dec 2008


The Lower House is likely to elect a new prime minister next week, parliamentary officials said on Tuesday, as the Democrats and Puea Thai continued frantic lobbying for support ahead of the vote.

"In the petition for the extraordinary session already to put to the office of the King's private secretary, we asked for the session to open from Dec 15 onward," said the office of the secretary general of the lower house.

"The House speaker will later set the agenda to vote on a new prime minister," it said.

By law. the new premier must be chosen by Dec 30.

MPs from the former ruling party, now regrouped under the new name Puea Thai (For Thais) - insist they can still muster a majority and have been trying to get the backing of as many lawmakers as possible.

The party said it could nominate a prime ministerial candidate from one of the smaller parties to calm the tensions in Thailand.

But the Democrats have been showing off defectors from smaller parties and factions, and claim they have a majority that can elect their candidate - currently believed to be party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The winning candidate requires a simple majority of the 438 MPs eligible to vote for a new premier. (AFP)

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Abhisit is elected new Prime Minister of Thailand 
Bangkok Post: 15 Dec 2008
Abhsit becomes new PM

Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday.

Another candidate nominated by the Puea Thai party, Puea Pandin leader Pracha Promnok, obtained 198 votes.

The votes from many MPs of the former coalition parties, especially the Puea Pandin party, were divided.
Only a few MPs from the Northeast voted for Pol Gen Pracha.

During the session, Pol Gen Pracha voted for himself while Mr Abhisit refrained from voting.

There were three abstained votes -- Mr Abhisit himself, House Speaker Chai Chidchob and another MP.

All Puea Thai MPs voted for the Puea Pandin leader, while most of the members from Friends of Newin group, who vowed to back Democrat party, voted for Mr Abhisit.

Meanwhile, more than hundred of pro-Thaksin Shinawatra group called United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) surrounded the Parliament after they learned that Mr Abhisit is elected.

They placed iron barricades to block the entrance of the Parliament, and threw water bottles into the compound.

Riot police were deployed around the site to prevent chaos.