Thailand’s 23rd Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has resigned a day after claiming victory in this weekend’s election, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announces he will resign amid mass protests and a political crisis that has thrown the future of the government into question.
“I am sorry that I will not accept the premier post,” Thaksin told a news conference, according to the Associated Press.
The statement came as opposition groups were readying anti-government protests.
While final results are not yet in, returns so far show Thaksin Shinawatra’s party got 16 million votes, 57 percent of the votes cast in an election boycotted by the opposition over corruption claims.
Before the election, he promised to leave his post if his party received less than 50 percent of the vote.
Thaksin had called the election three years early, as demonstrators filled streets demanding his ouster.
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