Thailand’s ruling party said yesterday it was considering candidates for prime minister, backing off a vow to return the job to Samak Sundaravej, who was forced out by a court over his TV cooking shows.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday stripped Samak of his post as prime minister, saying he had illegally accepted payments for hosting two food programs.
The verdict added to the political turmoil in Thailand, which has seen protesters barricading the main government complex for more than two weeks and a state of emergency imposed across the capital Bangkok.
Judges did not ban Samak from politics, and his People Power Party (PPP) said immediately after the ruling that they would re-elect him as prime minister.
But after a key coalition partner voiced concern over restoring Samak to power, the party backed down and said it would consult its allies on possible candidates before a parliamentary vote set for tomorrow.
“For prime minister, we will consult again among PPP members in the next few days,” deputy PPP leader Somchai Wongsawat told reporters after meeting with the Chart Thai party, the second-largest member of the coalition.
Opposition Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva proposed creating a national unity government, with himself at the helm, but the idea has gained little traction.
Somchai, the most senior deputy in Samak’s Cabinet, is acting as a caretaker prime minister until a new chief is named.
His new role is certain to stoke Thailand’s political flames: Somchai is the brother-in-law of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup two years ago.
The protesters besieging the Government House compound first took to the streets against Thaksin nearly three years ago, accusing him of using his political office to enrich his multibillion-dollar telecom empire.
The military cited the corruption claims to justify their coup in 2006. Thaksin now lives in exile in Britain to dodge the legal charges, which he says are politically motivated.
A military-backed Constitution approved last year included strict limits on outside employment by government officials.
Judges have now used that charter to force Samak from office over the cooking programs that reportedly earned him no more than a few hundred dollars per show, which he said he used mainly to buy ingredients.
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