Thailand

Thaksin's shadow cast over PM candidacy

Article published on the 2008-09-15 Latest update 2008-09-17 10:33 TU

Thailand's acting Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat leads a meeting at People Power Party (PPP) headquarters in Bangkok
(Photo: Reuters)

Dozens of parliamentarians walked out of talks to choose a new prime minister among the members of the governing People Power Party. They see Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatr, as a potential source of conflict.

Who will be the next prime minister of Thailand? The governing party, the People Power Party, is having trouble reaching agreement, after one faction of the party quit talks on Monday.

The Thai parliament is due to vote on the party's candidate on Wednesday 17 September. The vote was postponed from last Friday, because the quorum was not met in the House.

The executive committee seemed to be set on Somchai Wongsawat to take over.  He's the acting prime minister, but as the brother-in-law of the ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra - who has been accused of corruption - is seen by some parliamentarians as a figure who could re-ignite protests.

Anti-government protests have been going on in Thailand since May, and came to a head recently when demonstrators occupied the government complex in Bangkok. The protestors consider that Samak Sundaravej, who was forced by the Constitutional Court to vacate the prime minister's post last week due to a conflict of interest, was a puppet for Thaksin.

The dissenting PPP supporters fear that Somchai's family ties could make him an easy target for similar opposition-led protests.

There are two other possible PPP candidates, a deputy party leader, Sompong Amornviwat and the secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee.