Thailand's parliament elected Samak Sundaravej prime minister today as the country returns to civilian government after a bloodless September 2006 coup.
Samak Sundaravej has vowed to push for Thaksin Shinawatra's return
Mr Samak, who is leading a six-party coalition after his People Power Party (PPP) narrowly missed an outright majority on its own, won approval from 310 of the 480 members of parliament in today's vote.
The 72-year-old has vowed to push for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return from exile, putting him on a collision course with the royalist elite accused of masterminding the coup - especially the king's top adviser, Prem Tinsulanonda.
Analysts believe Mr Samak, whose hatred of Prem is legendary, will try to rescind a five-year political ban imposed on Thaksin and 110 leading members of his Thai Rak Thai party before making way for his political patron to assume the top job once again.
There was no reaction on the stock and currency markets, where his appointment had been widely expected since the PPP won 233 seats in the December 23rd election that marked the end of the army-appointed interim government.
Although most Thais are keen to see civilian rule succeed an inept post-coup government, fewer than half of the country's 65 million people are happy with Mr Samak in the top job, according to the latest opinion polls.
Democracy campaigners regard him with distrust, remembering his vitriolic radio campaign against student activists in the mid-1970s and support for a bloody crackdown in October 1976 that led to a coup. He then served briefly as interior minister in the military-appointed government.