Thailand's new Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat yesterday unveiled his cabinet, looking to heal rifts within his own party and restore stability as anti-government protests drag on.
After days of intense horse trading with the ruling People Power Party's five coalition partners, Somchai revealed a 36-member cabinet made of veteran politicians, academics and a few controversial faces from the past.
Royalist protesters besieging the main government compound will be watching closely for signs of the influence of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as they continue their campaign to bring down any government with links to him.
Somchai implored Thais to give his cabinet a chance to solve the turmoil in the kingdom, as the protesters dug in for the second month of their occupation of Bangkok's main government compound.
"Please let my cabinet work to prove themselves," Somchai told reporters yesterday. "I am confident that they will work with good intention as the cabinet is comprised of both politicians and non-politicians."
The list was released after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej signed off on the cabinet.
The finance minister post goes to economist Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech, while former Thaksin advisor Sompong Amornviwat gets the foreign ministry job.
Former police chief Kowit Wattana will retain his position as interior minister.
Chavalit Youngchaiyudh, Thai prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and a prominent political figure in Thailand, will be one of five deputy prime ministers.
Somchai has taken the defence portfolio himself, becoming only the fourth civilian in the post in a nation where the military has historically played a prominent role in politics.
Parliament last week elected Somchai as Thailand's 26th prime minister after his tough-talking predecessor Samak Sundaravej was forced from the job when a court ruled he had taken illegal payments for a TV cooking show.