BANGKOK (AP) — Srettha Thavisin from the populist Pheu Thai party secured enough votes in parliament to become the country’s 30th prime minister Tuesday.
While the vote was still ongoing, his supporters celebrated an end to months of post-election uncertainty in which the winning progressive Move Forward Party was blocked from taking power by conservative senators.
Hundreds of people gathered outside of the airport hours ahead of Thaksin's 9 a.m. arrival, donning red clothes and holding sign with welcoming messages. They sang and chanted in anticipation, then raised a raucous cheer when he appeared at the terminal door. Thaksin and parties backed by him struggled with the military for years. Thaksin left Thailand 15 years ago, following a 2006 coup that cut short his second term as prime minister and sparked years of upheaval. A Pheu Thai government led by Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted in 2014 by then-army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is now the outgoing prime minister after voters largely rejected military-linked parties in May.
The Pheu Thai's coalition holds 314 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives, and would be led by former property developer Srettha Thavisin as prime minister. Srettha is not a member of parliament and does not appear to be in the chamber for the vote. Less than a week before the May elections, Thaksin announced plans to return before his birthday in July, but they were repeatedly delayed.
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