Abhisit Vejjajiva (;, ,, born 3 August 1964) is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Thailand. He has been the leader of the Democrat Party since February 2005. Abhisit successfully ran for MP in Bangkok under the Democrat Party following the 1991 NPKC military coup. Abhisit quickly rose through party ranks but failed in a bid to become party leader in 2001. He became party leader after the Party's overwhelming defeat in the 2005 elections. During the 2005-2006 Thai political crisis, Abhisit called for King Bhumibol Adulyadej to appoint a replacement to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In a rare public speech, Bhumibol responded, "Asking for a Royally-appointed prime minister is undemocratic. It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational". Under Abhisit's leadership, senior Democrat Party members accused Thaksin of what they called the Finland Plot, a supposed plan to overthrow the monarchy and establish a republic. Abhisit boycotted the 2006 elections, claiming that they "diverted public attention" from Thaksin's sale of Shin Corp. Abhisit voiced displeasure at the 2006 coup that overthrew Thaksin, but otherwise did not protest it or the military junta that ruled Thailand for over a year. A fact-finding panel at the Attorney-General's Office found that the Democrat Party bribed other parties to boycott the 2006 elections to force a constitutional crisis, and voted to dissolve the party. The new Constitutiuonal Court acquitted Abhisit and the Democrats of the vote fraud charges, while banning Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party for the same charges. Abhisit supported the junta's 2007 Constitution, calling it an improvement on the 1997 Constitution. The Democrat Party lost the junta-administered 2007 election to the People's Power Party. In the crisis that followed, some Democrat Party members acting on their own join People's Alliance for Democracy, which seized Government House, Don Muang Airport, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, while facing violent clashes by the police and anti-PAD protesters. On 19 December 2008, Abhisit voiced displeasure at sieges, but did not stop his deputies from their roles in the PAD. The sieges ended after the Constitutional Court banned the People's Power Party. Army commander and co-leader of the 2006 coup, General Anupong Paochinda, allegedly coerced several PPP MPs, including those from the Friends of Newin Group, to defect to the Democrat Party allowing Abhisit to be elected Prime Minister. Abhisit became Premier during a global economic crisis and faced escalating domestic political tension. During Songkran (the Thai New Year), protesters disrupted the Fourth East Asia Summit. Violent protests then erupted in Bangkok, leading Abhisit to declare a state of emergency, censor the media, and order the military to stop the protesters. After the red-shirts were supressed, an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul. Both Sondhi's son and Thaksin claimed that factions within Abhisit government were behind the assassination; however, Abhisit's foreign Minister claimed that Thaksin was behind it. Numerous cases of government corruption occurred under Abhisit's leadership. Abhisit's Social Development and Human Security Minister Vitoon Nambutr resigned after procuring rotten canned fish for flood stricken refugees villagers, and Public Health Minister Vittaya Kaewparadai resigned after gross overpayment for numerous items under the massive Thai Khem Khaeng (Strong Thailand) stimulus program. Abhisit also oversaw rising tension with Cambodia over several issues, including the appointment of controversial PAD leader Kasit Piromya as Foreign Minister, border disputes over Preah Vihear, and the appointment of Thaksin Shinawatra as economic advisor to the Cambodian government.

[Last contributor : Patiwat , Content under LGPL licence]