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BANGKOK : The brother-in-law to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra appeared on the verge of Thailand's premiership after being endorsed by the country's ruling coalition Tuesday evening.
Somchai Wongsawat had faced a revolt in his own People Power Party (PPP) over his ties to Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, with a key faction fearing his nomination would inflame protesters who have occupied the premier's offices for three weeks.
But Somchai announced his nomination at a Tuesday evening press conference after the party resolved its differences and he secured the backing of its five coalition members.
"I thank the PPP parliamentarians for nominating me and we will seek parliament's approval tomorrow," a relaxed-looking Somchai told reporters.
"I have to thank parliamentarians from our five coalition parties who supported me," he added.
With his endorsement from Thailand's ruling coalition, Somchai appears set to be confirmed as prime minister Wednesday in parliament.
The PPP was forced to find a new premier after Samak Sundaravej was stripped of office last week by a court that found he had illegally accepted payments for hosting TV cooking shows.
The PPP leadership had tried to return Samak to office in a parliamentary vote last Friday, but critics in the party torpedoed that effort by boycotting the session.
The same parliamentarians had initially opposed Somchai, but a spokesman for the faction said the leadership had convinced them that he would try to end Thailand's political turmoil.
"Somchai must announce in parliament how he will reduce conflicts and tensions in Thailand, how he will achieve national reconciliation and how he will preserve the constitutional democracy with the monarch as head of state," the spokesman, Boonchong Wongtrairat, said.
If, as expected, he is voted into office Wednesday, Somchai faces a national political crisis that has already seen thousands of protesters storming the seat of government and raised questions about the survival of Thailand's democracy.
The military toppled Thaksin after months of street protests by the same group of activists now occupying the grounds of Government House.
They call themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), but are campaigning to curtail democracy by creating a parliament where 70 percent of seats would be appointed.
They say this would weaken the influence of rural voters who steadfastly support Thaksin for delivering universal health care and low-interest loans to regions long ignored by the Bangkok elite.
The PAD had sought to oust Samak, accusing him of acting as a proxy for Thaksin. The group has already rejected Somchai, and insists that it will not accept any prime minister drawn from the ruling party, which is made up of Thaksin's allies.
Somchai, 61, is married to Thaksin's sister, who was an influential MP in his party.
The mild-mannered Somchai has also worked as a judge and has more than two decades of experience as a senior bureaucrat, having held the highest ranking positions at Thailand's justice and labour ministries.
The PPP-led government also faces a barrage of legal challenges, including a vote fraud case that could result in the disbanding of the party.
Thaksin himself faces a slate of court cases -- the Supreme Court issued a new warrant for his arrest Tuesday over a controversial loan to Myanmar.
The Supreme Court is expected Wednesday to give its verdict in a property scandal involving Thaksin and his wife, which could see them sentenced to prison.
Thaksin and his family have fled to Britain insisting the charges against them are politically motivated.
- AFP/vm
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