'The president of parliament will set a new date to choose a prime minister,' spokesman Nattawut Saikuar told reporters after a court banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years this week. -- AP
BANGKOK - THAILAND'S government cancelled a parliamentary session due next week to select a new prime minister, a government spokesman said on Thursday, adding to the political crisis gripping the country.
The session was due to take place on Monday and Tuesday following a constitutional court ruling this week that disbanded the ruling party and two coalition partners and ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
The country has been rocked by months of protests aimed at toppling Somchai and his government by demonstrators who say the administration is a corrupt puppet of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
'The cabinet cancelled the extraordinary session on December 8 and 9,' government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar said.
He said that the session was originally called to consider legislation relating to a summit of South-east Asian nations being held in Thailand in December, but that meeting has been postponed in March.
The house speaker would set a new date, Mr Nattawut said, without giving any indications. Under the constitution a new prime minister must be chosen within 30 days of Somchai being stripped of the post.
The dissolved ruling party and two coalition partners that were also disbanded by the court on Tuesday have vowed to reform a government and name a prime minister as they still have a parliamentary majority.
The People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement says if the next PM is too close to Thaksin it will re-start its protests. -- AFP
