By DPA,
Bangkok : Thai Parliament Wednesday provided a majority vote for Somcahi Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of coup-ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, to become the next prime minister.
More than 240 members of parliament had already cast their votes for Somchai less than an hour after the special session opened, assuring him the premiership.
Somchai Tuesday secured the nomination of his People Power Party (PPP) and its five coalition partners, who together hold 306 of the 480 seats in the Lower House.
Somchai, 61, is married to Yaowapa, the younger sister of Thaksin who was toppled by a military coup on Sep 19, 2006, after holding the premiership since 2001.
Despite his close connections to Thaksin, Somchai is deemed a compromiser who is best suited among the PPP candidates to smooth over Thailand’s political crisis sparked Aug 26 when thousands of anti-government protestors seized Government House demanding the resignation of former premier Samak Sundaravej.
A former judge and bureaucrat at the justice ministry, Somchai became acting prime minister after Samak lost his job a week ago. The Constitution Court found Samak guilty of moonlighting as a television cooking show host, a violation of the charter that forbids the prime minister from holding employment outside government service.
It is deemed highly unlikely that Somchai’s pending appointment as prime minister will end the protests at Government House, led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a staunchly anti-Thaksin movement.
Given Somchai’s close family ties to Thaksin, the PAD has vowed to continue holding Government House hostage until he resigns.
“I cannot deny my family ties, but what matters is how I behave,” Somchai told reporters Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the new cabinet has decided to set up temporary offices at Don Mueang, Bangkok’s former international airport.