Prime Minister of Thailand
Abhisit was formally endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Prime Minister on 17 December 2008. Abhisit ascended to power amid a global economic crisis.
Key appointments in Abhisit's government included PAD leader Kasit Piromya as Foreign Minister, construction tycoon Chaovarat Chanweerakul as Interior Minister, and investment banker and former Abhisit classmate Korn Chatikavanij as Finance Minister. Massage parlor tycoon Pornthiva Nakasai was appointed Deputy Commerce Minister.
Abhisit's first act as Prime Minister was to send SMS texts to tens of millions of Thai mobile phone users. The message, signed "Your PM," asked people to help him solve the country's crisis. Interested phone users were asked to send back their postal codes, at a cost of three baht. Abhisit was criticized for violating privacy regulations in the mass SMS. The National Telecommunication Commission says that mobile phone service providers may not exploit client information, including phone numbers, without their consent. However, it did not seek actions against Abhisit.
According to a survey by Assumption University's Abac Poll in May 2009, Abhisit received a 70 percent approval rating, the highest within the Cabinet. The government's overall approval rating was 59 percent "rather much or much" satisfied and 9.4 percent "very much" satisfied. Overall the government was rated 6.5 out of 10 by a majority of respondents. In a nationwide survey conducted 24–25 December 2010, by Bangkok University, the government's two years in power were rated 4.61 out of 10, with the PM's performance at 5.17.
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