Thaksin becomes Thailand's 23rd prime minister<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AFP): Billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra was
\nformally installed as Thailand's 23rd prime minister on Friday,
\nmore than a month after his Thai Rak Thai party scored an
\nhistoric election victory.<\/p>\n
"My government will work tirelessly and honestly, and will be
\ndevoted to ... improving the welfare of the Thai people," he said
\nafter the House of Representatives voted 340 to 127 to hand him
\nthe nation's top job.<\/p>\n
"My decisions, even though they cannot please all 61 million
\nThais, will be based on what is best for the majority, rather
\nthan for my own political survival."<\/p>\n
In a solemn evening ceremony after the vote, King Bhumibol
\nAdulyadej's signed royal command was conveyed to Thaksin's
\nriverside mansion on a golden platter.<\/p>\n
Dressed in military whites, Thaksin knelt before a large
\nportrait of the king in a gesture of deep respect before
\naccepting the document.<\/p>\n
His voice shaking with emotion, the Thai Rak Thai party leader
\nthen thanked voters for electing him in a landslide on Jan. 6 and
\nallowing him to "give something back to my country".<\/p>\n
Thaksin holds an unprecedented 325-seat majority in the lower
\nhouse, with the support of Thai Rak Thai's coalition partners the
\nChart Thai and Chart Pattana parties.<\/p>\n
With 248 seats in parliament, Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais)
\nonly narrowly missed out on securing an unprecedented simple
\nmajority that would have allowed it to rule in its own right.<\/p>\n
Thaksin's appointment finally ends a tumultuous aftermath to
\nthe elections, which were marred by widespread allegations of
\ncorruption and violent protests over vote-buying and ballot-box
\ntampering.<\/p>\n
His only real opposition on Friday came from the Democrats,
\nwho led a six-party coalition in government until they were
\nbundled out in the Jan. 6 national elections.<\/p>\n
In a surprise move, the Chart Pattana party which had been
\nexpected to join the Democrats in opposing Thaksin's nomination
\ndecided instead to abstain.<\/p>\n
The Democrats also failed in a bid to hold a debate over his
\nsuitability for the post that would have raised various
\nallegations of wrongdoing and corruption.<\/p>\n
Thaksin earlier welcomed the landslide vote in the 500-seat
\nlower house, where his three-party coalition was bolstered by a
\nhost of smaller parties who also backed his nomination.<\/p>\n
"I believe that most of the votes supporting me were cast in
\nreflection of people's desire to see change in this country, and
\nthey want me to perform the duties of prime minister," he said.<\/p>\n
After winning the endorsement of virtually the entire house,
\nwith the exception of the vanquished Democrats, Thaksin takes up
\nthe reins of the country with a clear mandate to implement his
\npopulist policy platform.<\/p>\n
His unassailable position may also create a headache for the
\njudges of the Constitutional Court, who must rule on whether he
\nshould be banned from politics for filing a false declaration of
\nhis assets in 1997.<\/p>\n
Thaksin has said he does not expect a decision in the case for
\nseveral years, indicating he will deploy a battery of lawyers to
\nstall the proceedings for as long as possible.<\/p>\n
But questions have been raised as to whether the
\nConstitutional Court, a fledgling institution brought in under
\nthe reformist 1997 constitution, will be prepared to sack a prime
\nminister who has such a clear mandate to rule.<\/p>\n
After the vote Thaksin quickly got on with the business of
\nrunning the country, saying he planned to finalize his cabinet
\nline-up by Monday before passing it on for official scrutiny.<\/p>\n
Amid intense speculation over the still-vacant finance
\nportfolio, Thaksin indicated Bank of Thailand governor
\nChatumongkol Sonakul, who was called up for an interview this
\nweek, remained a frontrunner.<\/p>\n
"He offered many good ideas during our discussion, but this
\nposition has not yet been decided," he said.<\/p>\n
The cabinet list is due to be made public on Wednesday or
\nThursday, and its 35 members are to meet for the first time on
\nFeb. 20.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thaksin-becomes-thailands-23rd-prime-minister-1447893297",
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