2006 Thai interim civilian government

On 19 September 2006 the Thai military staged a coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, suspended the Constitution, cancelled upcoming elections, and dissolved Parliament.

After the coup, Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pookpasuk, CDRM vice-president, said that more than five candidates were being considered for the post of interim prime minister, though none of them had been approached yet.

Former central bank governor Mom Rajawongse Chatumongol Sonakul was tipped as interim prime minister because he is knowledgeable about economic issues.

Some CDRM leaders had reservations about Chatumongol, who gained a reputation for being outspoken and intolerant during his long years as a technocrat at the Finance Ministry and Bank of Thailand (BoT).

Ackaratorn Chularat, president of the Supreme Administrative Court, was always considered unlikely to be named interim prime minister because his knowledge of economics is regarded as limited, and he is not widely known in the international community.

[3][4] During a nationally televised press conference General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin reaffirmed wanting to install a new civilian prime minister "as soon as possible" but was still narrowing down candidates for the job.

[7] There was early speculation after the coup that junta leaders have approached former senator Kraisak Chonhavan to serve as Foreign Minister in the interim government.

On September/October 2007, Five members of the Cabinet resigned after named by the National Counter Corruption Commission as holding company shares of over 5 percent, which is in violation with the 2000 anti-graft law.

"[10] Following general elections and the establishment of a new civilian government, the junta would be dissolved and replaced by a permanent "Council of National Security" (CNS) whose future role in Thai politics has not yet been explained.

Critics called it a "rubber stamp", a "chamber of generals" full of "[Privy Councilor President and key coup backer] Prem's sons.