Thailand’s ruling party endorsed the brother-in-law of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday as its nominee to become the next prime minister, setting the stage for a showdown with anti-government protesters.
Somchai Wongsawat, 61, became acting prime minister last week when Samak Sundaravej — also dismissed by protesters as a stand-in for Thaksin — was ordered to resign after seven months in office for violating the Constitution.
Parliament is scheduled to vote on the nomination tomorrow.
The announcement by the ruling People’s Power Party drew a swift rejection from protesters who have occupied the prime minister’s official compound for three weeks, saying they will not allow another ally of Thaksin to take office.
“Somchai is very close to the Shinawatra family,” said Chamlong Srimuanng, one of the protest leaders. “He is Thaksin’s brother-in-law and will be even more his proxy than Samak ever was.”
Thaksin, who recently fled to London to escape corruption charges, was deposed as prime minister in a 2006 military coup but remains the central figure in Thailand’s long-running political crisis.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy, which has led the anti-government campaign, was formed in early 2006 to oppose Thaksin.
Samak, a close Thaksin ally, was elected by a wide majority in December but was quickly dismissed by the alliance as a proxy for Thaksin.
Street protests began in May and gained momentum when the alliance stormed Government House on Aug. 26, turning its manicured grounds into a tent camp for protesters.
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