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.