Thaksin becomes Thailand's 23rd prime minister
Thaksin becomes Thailand's 23rd prime minister
BANGKOK (AFP): Billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra was formally installed as Thailand's 23rd prime minister on Friday, more than a month after his Thai Rak Thai party scored an historic election victory.
"My government will work tirelessly and honestly, and will be devoted to ... improving the welfare of the Thai people," he said after the House of Representatives voted 340 to 127 to hand him the nation's top job.
"My decisions, even though they cannot please all 61 million Thais, will be based on what is best for the majority, rather than for my own political survival."
In a solemn evening ceremony after the vote, King Bhumibol Adulyadej's signed royal command was conveyed to Thaksin's riverside mansion on a golden platter.
Dressed in military whites, Thaksin knelt before a large portrait of the king in a gesture of deep respect before accepting the document.
His voice shaking with emotion, the Thai Rak Thai party leader then thanked voters for electing him in a landslide on Jan. 6 and allowing him to "give something back to my country".
Thaksin holds an unprecedented 325-seat majority in the lower house, with the support of Thai Rak Thai's coalition partners the Chart Thai and Chart Pattana parties.
With 248 seats in parliament, Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) only narrowly missed out on securing an unprecedented simple majority that would have allowed it to rule in its own right.
Thaksin's appointment finally ends a tumultuous aftermath to the elections, which were marred by widespread allegations of corruption and violent protests over vote-buying and ballot-box tampering.
His only real opposition on Friday came from the Democrats, who led a six-party coalition in government until they were bundled out in the Jan. 6 national elections.
In a surprise move, the Chart Pattana party which had been expected to join the Democrats in opposing Thaksin's nomination decided instead to abstain.
The Democrats also failed in a bid to hold a debate over his suitability for the post that would have raised various allegations of wrongdoing and corruption.
Thaksin earlier welcomed the landslide vote in the 500-seat lower house, where his three-party coalition was bolstered by a host of smaller parties who also backed his nomination.
"I believe that most of the votes supporting me were cast in reflection of people's desire to see change in this country, and they want me to perform the duties of prime minister," he said.
After winning the endorsement of virtually the entire house, with the exception of the vanquished Democrats, Thaksin takes up the reins of the country with a clear mandate to implement his populist policy platform.
His unassailable position may also create a headache for the judges of the Constitutional Court, who must rule on whether he should be banned from politics for filing a false declaration of his assets in 1997.
Thaksin has said he does not expect a decision in the case for several years, indicating he will deploy a battery of lawyers to stall the proceedings for as long as possible.
But questions have been raised as to whether the Constitutional Court, a fledgling institution brought in under the reformist 1997 constitution, will be prepared to sack a prime minister who has such a clear mandate to rule.
After the vote Thaksin quickly got on with the business of running the country, saying he planned to finalize his cabinet line-up by Monday before passing it on for official scrutiny.
Amid intense speculation over the still-vacant finance portfolio, Thaksin indicated Bank of Thailand governor Chatumongkol Sonakul, who was called up for an interview this week, remained a frontrunner.
"He offered many good ideas during our discussion, but this position has not yet been decided," he said.
The cabinet list is due to be made public on Wednesday or Thursday, and its 35 members are to meet for the first time on Feb. 20.