1st runner-up Person of the Year: Abhisit Vejjajiva

There was the Songkran mayhem, during which an attempt was allegedly made on his life, then the relationship crisis with the Bhum Jai Thai Party, then a nose-diving economy, a censure debate, the police chief stand-off, the growing mistrust with the yellow shirts and so forth. Not to mention that he had Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on his back most of the last quarter, giving controversial sanctuary to fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra and calling for popular toppling of the Bangkok government.

It can be argued that, unlike Somchai Wongsawat and the late Samak Sundaravej, Abhisit in 2009 has had the military firmly on his side and the Democrat Party did not face a crippling legal crackdown. While that is true, Abhisit's political survival has had as much to do with himself as external factors. He rose to premiership late last year simply because there was no alternative, and he managed to scrape through 2009 with that priceless political asset almost in tact - he remained the best, if not only, choice.

 For impressing on the internal stage, despite the controversial way of rising to power, and beating all the tough odds locally, Abhisit, who surely will find 2010 even much tougher, is our first runner-up for Person of the Year.

*Editor's note: The Person of the Year will be unveiled in Monday's edition.