By Pracha Hariraksapitak
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's Samak Sundaravej acceptedhis party's nomination on Thursday to return as prime minister,two party officials said, resuming a collision course withprotesters hell-bent on stopping him.
"He has agreed to accept the offer and wants to letparliament decide," Sutin Klangsaeng told reporters aftermeeting Samak at his home in Bangkok.
Another official from the ruling People Power Party (PPP)said Samak was keen to return to the political fray two daysafter a court found him guilty of a conflict of interest.
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), whose protestersare occupying the seat of national government in Bangkok, saidthey would not accept Samak, who also faced opposition fromwithin his own party ahead of Friday's parliamentary vote.
A spokesman for a PPP faction claiming to have 70 MPs saidthey would abstain from the vote, saying Samak's return wouldexacerbate weeks of political tension and damage the party.
The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that Samak,accused by the PAD of being a puppet for ousted prime ministerThaksin Shinawatra, broke the law in hosting cooking shows oncommercial television while in office.
"The main principle is that Samak, who violated theconstitution many times, should not become PM again," SomsakKosaisook, a PAD leader, said at Government House.
"No one in the PPP should become prime minister or aminister in the government," he added, suggesting that the PADaction that has paralysed government and unsettled investorswould continue.
The court's ruling against 73-year-old Samak removed himfrom office but did not ban him from returning.
The PPP, which has close to an outright majority inparliament with 225 of the 470 seats, has called the chamberinto special session on Friday to vote for a new primeminister.
CARETAKER LEADER IS THAKSIN KIN
The country is being run by a caretaker cabinet underSomchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of Thaksin. Thecontroversial former prime minister is now in exile in London,having skipped bail last month along with his wife to avoidcorruption charges.
Army commander Anupong Paochina urged Somchai to lift thestate of emergency Samak imposed last week after a man waskilled in street battles between pro- and anti-governmentgroups.
Anupong, who pointedly refused Samak's request for the armyto use force to evict the PAD from Government House, arguedthat the emergency rule, which appears to be largely symbolic,was damaging the country's image and economy.
The situation has become much calmer, although underlyingpolitical tensions remain.
Consumer confidence is low, falling in August to its lowestlevel this year, and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee hassaid this was one reason why the government's economic growthtarget would be missed. It had forecast 5 to 6 percent for2008.
The stock market turned lower in the afternoon after newsof Samak's nomination, ending down 1.33 percent. It has fallenaround 25 percent since the street protests began in late May.
(Additional reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan)
(Writing by Ed Cropley; editing by Darren Schuettler andRoger Crabb)
