Top dog after 30 rough and tumble years of playing in the political arena

However, Samak's journey to the top post in Thailand's post-coup politics surprised both observers and his rivals, as few people believed he would finally achieve this goal after more than three decades in politics.

After the coup on September 19, 2006, which ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak was recalled from retirement to save the former PM's power base - especially after Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party was dissolved by the junta-installed Constitution Tribunal.

Thaksin urged his ally Samak to take leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) and create a haven for former TRT members worried about their future. As some members planned to move to other parties, Thaksin believed only a veteran politician like Samak could save his sinking ship.

Samak proved himself to be the right choice - PPP only grew stronger as the race for the House neared its end. The party finally defeated its rival Democrat Party by about 70 seats.

Samak was a minister in several governments since 1975, and has become known for his outspokenness and strong stance against opponents. The controversial role he played as interior minister during the student massacre at Thammasat University in 1976 is still a major subject of debate.

Samak retired from politics in 2004 when he stepped down as Bangkok governor, a post he won by a landslide in 2000.

Although he quit mainstream politics, he returned to the spotlight as a radio and TV co-host with former minister and senator Dusit Siriwan. They hosted pro-Thaksin programmes shortly after the TRT won the February 2005 general election.

While Thaksin was struggling to regain his popularity amid widespread anti-government sentiment, Samak brought up a bribery allegation involving Democrat executives in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Though the Democrats' reputation appeared to have been damaged, that of the Thaksin government did not improve either.

However, Samak decided to stop hosting the talk shows in February 2006 mainly because of mounting pressure from anti-Thaksin groups, who wanted him to apologise for verbally attacking Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda. He refused to say sorry, though.

Samak, 73, has been a fierce opponent of Prem, who he alleges was the mastermind of the September 19 coup.

And Samak refuses to surrender to the fate handed him by his opponents. He decided to run for the Senate from Bangkok in April 2006, and got the second highest number of votes among the 18 winning candidates.

Unfortunately, the political turmoil led to the disqualification of Election Commissioners, and the election of the 200 winning candidates nationwide was not endorsed before the September 2006 coup dissolved the Senate. Samak then vanished from the public scene.

Initially, Samak decided to join the PPP only to rescue Thaksin. It was speculated that, as a compromise with anti-Thaksin groups, he was paving the way for Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa or PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee to take the helm. But, instead, he has decided to steer the government himself.

The next question is, how long does he think he can hold on to the post of PM? Apart from the possibility of facing the charge of being Thaksin's nominee, he could be disqualified if he fails to win his appeal in a defamation case filed by former Bangkok deputy governor Samart Ratchapholsit.

Weerayut Chokchaimadon

 The Nation