Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced Tuesday night at the government house that he decided to resign from the premiership to resolve the political crisis Thailand is now facing.

The embattled Thaksin said he will take the post as a caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister is selected, adding he will preserve the policies of his Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) continuously as a MP and a former prime minister.

The announcement was made five hours after Thaksin sought advice from the King at 3:30 p.m. (0830 GMT) at the Kraikungwol Palace in Hua Hin.

Thaksin said he made to decision to step down out of the respect to the country's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who will celebrate the 60th anniversary of taking the throne this year.

"My reason for not accepting the post of prime minister is because this year is an auspicious year for the king, whose 60th anniversary on the throne is just 60 days away," he said in a televised speech.

He apologized to the 16 million people who voted for him in last Sunday's election.

"I want the Thais to unite," he said.

Thailand's political tension has eased after the April 2 snap election, with Thaksin's TRT Party, according to unofficial election results, winning the majority vote of around 16 million against around 10 million "No Vote" -- a proportion of voters who do not support Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party.

But in Bangkok and the Southern region, protest votes have outnumbered votes TRT has received.

Tens of thousands of protestors have held regular weekend rallies demanding Thaksin to resign over the past two months, accusing the tycoon-turned-politician of corruption and abuse of power.

Source: Xinhua