'The prime minister will submit the cabinet list to the king at 4.30 pm (5.30 pm Singapore time) on Wednesday, and the whole cabinet is set to be sworn in by the king soon afterward,' an official in Mr Samak's People Power Party (PPP) said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

'The prime minister wants the cabinet to be able to begin work immediately,' he said on Monday.

Mr Samak led the PPP to victory in elections on December 23, returning Thailand to civilian leadership after a military coup toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006.

Mr Samak won the election by openly campaigning as a proxy for Thaksin, and has promised to bring the billionaire back to the kingdom from his self-imposed exile in Britain.

He announced on Sunday that he will take over the defence ministry himself, but has given few other public indications of what his cabinet will look like.

Top Thaksin aides are widely tipped for leading posts. -- AFP