Abhsit becomes new PM

Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, aged 44, has become the 27th and youngest prime minister of Thailand after receiving 235 votes from 431 MPs at the extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday.
Another candidate nominated by the Puea Thai party, Puea Pandin leader Pracha Promnok, obtained 198 votes.

The votes from many MPs of the former coalition parties, especially the Puea Pandin party, were divided.
Only a few MPs from the Northeast voted for Pol Gen Pracha.

During the session, Pol Gen Pracha voted for himself while Mr Abhisit refrained from voting.

There were three abstained votes -- Mr Abhisit himself, House Speaker Chai Chidchob and another MP.

All Puea Thai MPs voted for the Puea Pandin leader, while most of the members from Friends of Newin group, who vowed to back Democrat party, voted for Mr Abhisit.

Meanwhile, more than hundred of pro-Thaksin Shinawatra group called United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) surrounded the Parliament after they learned that Mr Abhisit is elected.

They placed iron barricades to block the entrance of the Parliament, and threw water bottles into the compound.

Riot police were deployed around the site to prevent chaos.