WHAT IT IS

THAILAND'S new Parliament will convene this evening and elect a Speaker of the House by Wednesday. A new prime minister will be elected in Parliament.

WHY IT MATTERS

The six-party coalition government will have to establish a Cabinet with strong credentials.

This will help reassure the Bangkok middle class and the investment community of a return to normalcy and some sense of direction for Thailand.

The job will not be easy, as deep-seated divisions between the Bangkok elite and the rural classes remain.

An additional point of focus will be the future plans of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej has sworn to rehabilitate Thaksin, who intends to return to Thailand before summer but must fight corruption charges in court.

NIRMAL GHOSH