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15.12.08 Parliament votes for new Prime Minister Monday; result uncertain
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Source: TNA
BANGKOK, Dec 15 (TNA) – Thailand's Parliament will meet to elect a
new prime minister this morning but until now there is uncertainty as
to who would be Thailand's 27th prime minister.
The current
opposition Democrat Party was confident that its Oxford-educated leader
Abhisit Vejjajiva will be elected the country's head of government.
The
Democrat Party reaffirmed that it has obtained more than 250 votes from
its party and four other parties plus a faction of the now defunct
People Power Party to form a new coalition government.
Unfortunately,
an ailing Democrat member of parliament Sombat Sithikornwong from
Nonthaburi, who was expected to attend the House session in a wheel
chair because he was in hospital, died early Monday morning.
However,
parties loyal to the legacy of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
also claimed to have enough votes to name their candidate, Pracha
Promnok, leader of Puea Pandin party, to the top spot.
A
breakaway faction from the dissolved People Power Party led by veteran
Buri Ram politician Newin Chidchob, the "Newin's Friends Group" and
four former government coalition parties -- Chart Thai Pattana
(formerly Chart Thai), Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, Puea Pandin and
Phum Jai Thai (formerly the Matchimathipataya party) -- have reaffirmed
their support for Mr Abhisit.
The Puea Thai Party said it
would not send any candidates to contest in the vote for prime minister
and expressed confidence that their candidate for premier, Puea Pandin
leader Pol. Gen. Pracha, would gain more votes than Mr Abhisit.
Puea
Thai is a new party set up recently to absorb People Power Party (PPP)
legislators forced to seek a new political home when the Constitution
Court on December 2 dissolved the PPP and two allies in the coalition
-- Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya -- due to fraud conducted during
last December's general election.
Pracharat party leader
Sanoh Thienthong was expected to propose former National Police Chief
Pracha as prime minister and if he wins, a national government
including all political parties would jointly form the government.
The Democrat Party which disagreed with Mr. Sanoh's idea would go ahead with its plan to propose Mr. Abhisit.
It
said if Mr. Abhisit fails to become prime minister, the Democrat will
again be the opposition party, not join a national government as
proposed by Mr. Sanoh.
Parliament is scheduled to vote at 9.30am Monday.
Metropolitan
police commissioner Pol. Lt-Gen. Suchart Muankaew said eight companies
of police officers have been deployed at Parliament.
Although
Gen. Suchart is optimistic that there will be no violence there between
pro- and anti-government protesters (as each side will be there to
boost morale for their candidates nominated for the post rather than to
act against their rivals), he said the police will be stationed both
inside and outside the Parliament compound to ensure that no untoward
incident erupts.
The government supporters "the red-shirt
group" planned to gather at the gates of Parliament to block MPs from
entering the premises to vote.
Four of the eight police
companies were sent to Parliament on Sunday while the rest were on
standby and ready to give help, he said. In addition, three fire trucks
were parked at Parliament. (TNA)
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