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Thai party 'drops Samak for PM' Samak out of Thai leadership race
(about 3 hours later)
Thailand's ruling party has dropped ousted PM Samak Sundaravej as its nominee for the job, say party sources. Thailand's ruling party has abandoned its attempt to get embattled leader Samak Sundaravej reappointed as prime minister.
The decision marks an apparent U-turn by the People Power Party (PPP), which earlier seemed determined to re-nominate him to the post. The People Power Party (PPP) had initially backed Mr Samak, who was stripped of office earlier this week.
Protesters have been demanding for weeks that Mr Samak should resign. But it became clear that coalition partners and some PPP lawmakers opposed the decision, and a planned vote to re-elect him could not go ahead.
The apparent confirmation that he is no longer in contention for the post may pave the way for a settlement of the political crisis, analysts say. The move could pave the way for an end to Thailand's political crisis.
Mr Samak had vowed not to bow to the protesters' demands, but was eventually forced out earlier this week, over an apparently unrelated appearance in a TV cookery show. Protesters have been demanding Mr Samak step down for weeks. They say he is a puppet for Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who the military accused of corruption and ousted in 2006.
The protesters call him a puppet for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in an army coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power. Mr Samak had vowed not to bow to the protesters' demands, but was eventually forced out earlier this week over an appearance in a TV cookery show that a court said breached the constitution.
New candidates 'Done his best'
Reports are confused as to whether the pressure to drop Mr Samak came from within the ruling party or from its five coalition partners. The PPP initially said it would renominate him as prime minister, but early on Friday the vote to re-elect him had to be abandoned because too few MPs turned up. POLITICAL CRISIS 26 Aug: Protesters occupy government buildings, demand the government step down28 Aug: PM Samak promises no use of force against the protesters30 Aug: Samak rules out resignation, after meeting with Thailand's king 1 Sept: A late-night clash between pro- and anti-government groups leaves one dead. Samak declares a state of emergency4 Sept: Samak proposes a national referendum9 Sept: Court orders Samak to resign for violating constitution 11 Sept: PPP re-nominates Samak as prime minister 12 Sept: PPP abandons move to re-elect Samak class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7584005.stm">Q&A: Bangkok protests
The Associated Press news agency quoted PPP spokesman Kuthep Saikrajang as saying the party had short-listed three party members as its prime ministerial nominee, though they were not named.Mr Samak was a TV chef before becoming prime minister It became apparent that partners in the ruling coalition and some members of his own party opposed his nomination.
The party will need to agree on a compromise candidate before Wednesday, when parliament has scheduled a new vote for prime minister. A spokesman later confirmed that Mr Samak was no longer trying to win back his job.
Earlier on Friday, a planned vote in the Thai parliament to re-elect Mr Samak as prime minister was postponed because too few MPs turned up. "Prime Minister Samak asked me to deliver the message that he has done his best as the party leader to preserve democracy," his personal secretary Theeraphol Noprampha told journalists.
Thousands of protesters who have been holding a sit-in outside Government House calling for Mr Samak's resignation were enraged by his re-nomination. "Now his role has come to an end, and everything is now up to the party," he said.
Protesters pledged to continue their protest until a suitable replacement for Mr Samak was found - a scenario which may now have materialised, say correspondents. Parliament is now scheduled to vote on a new prime minister on Wednesday.
Although the PPP is the largest party in parliament, it does not have an outright majority and four of its five coalition partners had already said they wanted an alternative candidate. So far no clear front-runner has emerged and the protesters, who are occupying government buildings in Bangkok, say they will not accept another leader perceived as close to Mr Thaksin.
On top of that, Mr Samak also faces disqualification again later this month if the verdict in a defamation case goes against him. But the choice of a compromise candidate could persuade the demonstrators to abandon the protests that have paralysed the government and driven tourists away, analysts say.
The PPP is expected to hold talks with the five other parties that make up the ruling coalition in the next few days.
The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, says that whoever gets the job will face the unenviable task of calming the fevered political temperature and helping the governing party overcome some formidable challenges.
Over the next few months it must face the possibility of being dissolved by the increasingly assertive courts over allegations of vote-buying in the last election.