Thai Parliament to Meet Monday to Elect a Leader

Thailand's Parliament will meet Monday to elect a new prime minister, House Speaker Chai Chidchob announced Thursday, confirming that King Bhumibol Adulyadej had endorsed a request from the Democrat Party to hold the session.

The opposition Democrats say they have enlisted enough lawmakers from other parties to form a parliamentary majority and name their leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister of a new government.

But it isn't certain the Democrats will be able to gain the premiership and form a government to succeed the one led, until last week, by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Thailand's Constitutional Court forced Mr. Somchai, a brother-in-law of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, to step down when it ordered that his People's Power Party be disbanded because of committing fraud in the country's December 2007 general elections.

Mr. Thaksin, ousted as prime minister in a 2006 military coup, hopes to head off a new government led by Mr. Abhisit with a telephone speech on Saturday to supporters, politicians said Thursday.

Democrat Party officials acknowledged that the speech by Mr. Thaksin, who is staying outside Thailand to avoid being jailed on a corruption conviction, could hurt their plans to take power for the first time since 2001.

"If the voting is held after Thaksin's phone-in, there will be more pressure on defector lawmakers," said Democrat Party Secretary-General Suthep Thuagsuban, referring to legislators who supported Mr. Somchai but have said they now back Mr. Abhisit. "This makes us nervous. It could affect the number of votes we have."

The new leader will be Thailand's fifth prime minister in a little over two years. The country has been deadlocked politically by months of protests by an anti-government alliance that culminated in a week-long occupation of Bangkok's airports in November that stranded more than 300,000 travelers.

Tens of thousands of people are expected at the rally Saturday at a Bangkok stadium to hear the speech from Mr. Thaksin, who has been living in the United Arab Emirates.

Jatuporn Phromphan, a pro-Thaksin lawmaker, said the ousted premier "is planning to call in to tell his supporters how the other side is using extra-constitutional means to usurp power." Mr. Jatuporn said. Afterwards, he said, Thaksin supporters "may demand that their parliamentary representatives return to the fold."

But a spokesman for the ex-prime minister, Pongthep Thepkanchana, said he wasn't aware of plans by Mr. Thaksin to pressure his former allies. "He is calling to talk about the current situation. I am not aware of a plan to convince the lawmakers to oppose the Democrat-led coalition."