Thai protest leader renews government ouster call
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}May 13, 2014: Thai anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, lef, is flanked by fellow protester Ekkanat Promphant, right, before his announcement at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP)
The leader of Thailand's anti-government movement has pressed calls for the appointment of an unelected prime minister in a televised news conference from the government's compound that has been seized by protesters.
Suthep Thaugsuban called on the Senate to name a new prime minister, arguing that the caretaker, Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, has no legitimacy. Niwattumrong took over after Thailand's Constitutional Court removed Yingluck Shinawatra for nepotism in a case that many viewed as politically motivated.
The government wants elections in July to go ahead, but Suthep insists that an unelected prime minister must implement anti-corruption reforms first.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The government has left the compound mostly unused for the past six months for fear of protesters. Last week, soldiers guarding the buildings allowed protesters in to avoid possible violence.