Thailand set for vote on new PM

Thai royal officials rejected a request by the ruling party to dissolve parliament, the country's acting prime minister said yesterday, clearing the way for a vote that could select his successor.

A power vacuum has consumed Thailand's top office since last Friday, when the Constitutional Court sacked prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over an ethics breach.

A coalition of opposition MPs has backed conservative construction magnate Anutin Charnvirakul to take the top office, with a vote scheduled for today.

Paetongtarn's Pheu Thai party -- still governing in a caretaking capacity -- had attempted to dissolve the legislature and block the vote, submitting its request to the palace.