Thai coalition partners jostle for cabinet posts

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's newly elected parliament met for the first time on Monday as a six-party ruling coalition argued over cabinet posts in the new civilian government in waiting.

Legislators were due to choose a prime minister later this week with People Power Party (PPP) firebrand leader Samak Sundaravej expected to lead a coalition commanding 315 of 480 seats in the House of Representatives, which convened on Monday nearly a month after the December 23 election.

The PPP, which backs ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and fell just short of an outright majority in the election, will get two-thirds of the 36 cabinet posts, including the key finance, commerce and defence portfolios, party officials say.

"Nothing will stop Samak from becoming the prime minister. This is a reward for him leading the PPP to victory," retired academic-turned-political commentator Sukhum Nualskul said.

PPP Secretary-General Surapong Suebwonglee, whom Thai newspapers have tipped as a potential finance minister after other candidates turned down the post, would not confirm or deny his candidacy.

"We have not decided on a finance minister, but that person must be very smart, knowledgeable and decisive to tackle the economic crisis right away," he said.

Analysts say two former finance ministers spurned the job due to concerns they would not have a free hand in running the economy, depressed since a political crisis began two years ago and led to the coup which ousted Thaksin in 2006.

"The new finance minister will have to follow a script to jump start the economy with a lot of spending to make everyone happy," political analyst Somjai Phagapasvivat said, adding he expected a snap election call halfway into the four-year term.