Boy he looks sad.
The election turned up some pretty interesting results. “No Votes” outnumbered votes for TRT, Thaksin’s party, in 28 of 36 central seats, while TRT romped it in throughout the provinces, excluding the south. While he probably could have led a new government pending upcoming bi-elections, Thaksin didn’t have a mandate in Bangkok, where the power and money resides.
On Monday Thaksin declared victory. On Tuesday he met with HM the King, then announced he was stepping down as the Prime Minister, though not resigning.
IMHO, Thaksin has done a lot for democracy by taking the election path rather than bowing to the protestor’s demands.
As usual, there are better places than Something Changed to get your news.
Here are some key quotes:
“My reason for not accepting the post of prime minister is because this year is an auspicious year for the King, whose 60th anniversary on the throne is just 60 days away. I want all Thais to reunite.” (The Nation)
“I want to see Thais love each other, be united and let bygones be bygones. I would like to thank PAD members and beg them to join us in pushing for political reform to ensure the best politics for Thailand and for all the Thais.” (Bangkok Post)
Now, if only he’d stepped down a bit earlier and saved me those two bottles of beer.