Senior leaders of Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party today decided to make premier Yingluck Shinawatra their prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections.
Facing sustained anti-government protests, Yingluck today dissolved Thai parliament's 500-seat lower house and called a snap poll by February 2, 2014.
Yingluck, who protesters accuse of acting as a proxy for her fugitive brother and former premier Thaksin Shinwatra, was under pressure to quit and call a fresh poll since late last month, when protests started for her government to be replaced with an unelected "People's Council".
Election Commission member Sodsri Sattayatham said a general election to elect the lower house will be held under Thai laws within 60 days, or before February 2, 2014.
The Pheu Thai Party reached the decision to make 46-year-old Yingluck their top candidate at a meeting of senior party members, the party's strategy committee and party zone executives, party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said.
Prompong said Yingluck was chosen as she has shown strong leadership in her current term by making decisions that protect democracy and the general public.
Yingluck's candidacy will be officially confirmed at a party meeting on December 11. List of the party's candidates are expected to be finalised over the next week, Prompong added.
