September 12, 2008
Bangkok - Former prime minister Samak Sundaravej refused to answer all the mass media’s questions after the parliament put off a vote on new premier to September 17.
"The meeting to vote for prime minister is adjourned to next Wednesday at 9:30 am," speaker Chai Chidchob said.
The coalition parties did not show up at the parliamentary session.
Only 161 of the lower house's 470 deputies attended the session, most of them from the opposition Democrat Party, according to AFP.
Samak lost his premiership after the Constitutional Court gave its verdict that his TV cooking shows were against the law on Tuesday.
Somchai Wongswasdi, deputy People Power Party (PPP) leader and caretaker prime minister, said the postponement was a normal thing.
He could not tell if the PPP would propose another candidate or not, saying the issue had to be jointly discussed by the party’s members.
The discussion is likely to take place in 1-2 days. Somchai confirmed there would be no parliament dissolution.
The Isarn Pattana group led by Paichit Srivorakhan, PPP’s Nakhon Panom MP, gathered at a room in the parliament. Former interior minister Pol Capt Chalerm Yoobamrung was seen to join the group. The group did not back Samak to return as the prime minister.
