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Thaksin aide voted Thai speaker

Loyalists of toppled Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra scored another victory yesterday as Thailand's new parliament elected one of his top aides as speaker, even though he faces charges of balloting fraud.

Parliament chose Yongyuth Tiyapairat overwhelmingly, in a 307 to 167 vote, to one of the most powerful positions in parliament's lower house, which is dominated by the pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP) and its coalition allies.

The first task of the speaker, also known as parliamentary president, is to call for the house to convene and select a new prime minister, widely expected to be PPP leader Samak Sundaravej.

Parliament, which on Monday convened for its first session since a 2006 coup, drew immediate fire for Yongyuth's appointment, with political opponents and democracy activists noting the Election Commission was still investigating vote-buying allegations against him.

Election Commissioner Somchai Juengprasert said the body had to pursue the case carefully, because a guilty verdict against Yongyuth could lead to the dissolution of the PPP. If an executive member of a political party is found guilty of violating the election law, the party may be dissolved, which would in turn lead to the dissolution of government.

"It is ridiculous to appoint a person who has a tainted record of election fraud to be chief of the legislature," said Varin Thiemjaras, a member of the activist People's Network for Elections.

Yongyuth, who has never been convicted of violating election law, said he was confident he could clear himself of the "groundless accusations" and prove himself an able and fair speaker.

He held several posts under Thaksin, including government spokesman and environment minister, and served as one of Thaksin's top advisers.

Thailand has not had an elected legislature since Feb. 24, 2006, when Thaksin dissolved the parliament and called snap elections in an effort to halt street protests demanding his ouster.

But the opposition boycotted the polls, which were later nullified by courts as undemocratic.

Thaksin was ousted in September that year by generals who accused him of corruption and abuse of power.

The country remains polarized between the ex-prime minister's detractors and supporters, as illustrated by last month's parliamentary election, in which the PPP -- a party strongly aligned with Thaksin -- emerged with the greatest number of seats, giving it the right to form a new government.

But many among the urbanized middle class -- particularly in Bangkok, where the main opposition Democrats dominated in the latest poll -- view Thaksin as a dictator in democratic dress who attempted to subvert national institutions to serve his own ends.

Thaksin remains hugely popular among the rural majority who benefited from his populist policies and voted heavily in favor of his allies in the Dec. 23 polls, the first since the coup.

A PPP-led six-party coalition controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house and is expected to form the new government. The Democrat Party, which won 165 seats, will be the sole opposition voice.

The PPP is widely regarded as a front for Thaksin -- prime minister from 2001 to 2006 -- and his dissolved Thai Rak Thai party. The PPP has vowed to reinstate the populist policies that won Thaksin widespread support in the countryside.

Much of the tension now is focused on the prospect of Thaksin's return, which he has vowed will take place by April. He has spent the past 16 months living in Hong Kong and Britain.
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