Thailand's Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to stand down on Tuesday, accusing him of breaking the law by hosting cooking shows on commercial television while in office.
Samak's ruling People Power Party (PPP) brushed off the verdict, saying it wanted parliament to meet on Friday to re-elect the 73-year-old as PM, to the dismay of the protesters occupying his Government House compound to try to force him out.
"I insist that our party leader will be the prime minister," chief government whip Wittaya Buranasiri told reporters within minutes of the televised court ruling.
The verdict prompted some cheers from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who accuse Samak of being a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted as premier by the army in a 2006 coup.
Others were more cautious, realizing the judges had failed to provide even a stop-gap solution to the political crisis that has riven Thailand since the PAD first launched its campaign against Thaksin three years ago.
"We will stay here until this government is thrown out," PAD leader Prapan Kunmee told the crowd from the rock-concert-style protest stage that now sits on the front lawn of Samak's official compound. "Samak may come back."
There was no immediate reaction from Samak himself, believed to be traveling back to Bangkok from a "mobile" cabinet meeting in Udon Thani, a PPP stronghold 560 km (350 miles) northeast of the capital.
The stock market, which has fallen 24 percent since the PAD started its street protest against Samak in May, closed down 0.3 percent, having shown little reaction to the verdict.
COOKED UP CHARGES?
The PAD, a mix of royalist businessmen, academics and activists united by their hatred of Thaksin, had hoped to bury Samak with the conflict of interest charges caused by his hosting the TV shows while in office.
Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat -- who just happens to be Thaksin's brother-in-law -- will become acting prime minister, the government said, an appointment hardly likely to calm PAD ardor.
Testifying in his own defence on Monday, the belligerent star of the aptly named "Tasting, Grumbling" denied any wrongdoing, suggesting the case against him was politically motivated.
The 80,000 baht ($2,300) his driver received was to cover the cost of fuel and ingredients for the show, Samak added. He gave up the show in April, more than two months after becoming prime minister.
With the thick skin that has typified his behavior throughout, Samak toured a meat and vegetable market in Udon Thani on Tuesday before his weekly cabinet meeting.
At a pro-government rally on Monday evening, he vowed not to resign or call a snap election.
"I declare that I will not dissolve parliament. I will not quit. I will fight on," he told thousands of cheering supporters.
The standoff between the government and PAD has paralyzed administration decision-making at a time of slowing economic growth and high inflation.
It has also scared away visitors to the "Land of Smiles," with airlines and hotels reporting cancellations amid a flurry of travel warnings in the wake of a street battle between pro- and anti-government groups last week and Samak's declaration of emergency rule.
Two years after its removal of Thaksin in a coup, the army ignored Samak's orders to move against the PAD, insisting it would not intervene again, but senior officers acknowledge the political crisis has reached a stalemate.
If the deadlock continues or more people are hurt or killed, the crisis could trigger a move by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has stepped into several disputes during his six decades on the throne.
($1=34.52 Baht)
