Thailand's parliament was set to choose a new prime minister on Friday after days of political chaos, in a vote that could be overshadowed by the dramatic departure from the country of its most powerful politician, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Polarizing billionaire Thaksin, the central figure in a tumultuous two-decade battle for power in Thailand, left on his private jet for Dubai late on Thursday, with his family's ruling party Pheu Thai in disarray.
Thaksin's flight out of Thailand came only days ahead of a court ruling next week that could see him jailed.
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