Thai PM: I Won't Return to Power

Thailand's ousted prime minister will not seek reelection, possibly paving the way for an end to the country's political crisis. Samak Sundaravej was forced from office Tuesday after the country's supreme court ruled that his appearances on a TV cooking show violated the constitution. "He said he did his best to protect democracy. From now on it's up to the party to decide what to do next," said an aide.

A vote to re-elect Samak had to be postponed today as lawmakers from all parties boycotted the session. It's unclear if Samak's loss of support came from within his People's Power Party, which has a minority of seats, or from the coalition partners he depended upon for support. The party is now said to have a shortlist of three possible nominees for PM.
(More Thailand stories.)