HONG KONG--7 Apr--Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest Thaksin Shinawatra stepped down as Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday night following months of street protests organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demanding his resignation over alleged corruption and abuse of power. In this week's cover story, The Economist questions whether we have seen the last of Mr Thaksin. The political storm that led to his resignation has impacted Thailand's currency, growth rates and stockmarket. Local and foreign investments and planned infrastructure spending on have been put on hold awaiting the resolution of the crisis, as have talks with America on a proposed free-trade agreement. Following Mr Thaksin's resignation, doubts linger about legitimising an interim parliament in which his Thai Rak Thai party will hold almost all seats and he will remain the party's leader, if not prime minister. There could be trouble if Mr Thaksin seeks a comeback when the further election is held following reforms, in around 15 months time. If he aimed for reelection then, he would be hoping voters have forgotten all the corruption allegations and remember his strong policies on health and poverty reduction, and his sacrifice in stepping down. But will his opponents, and the Bangkok elite that are their main supporters, expect to exercise a permanent veto over his return? Amidst hopes that the political crisis is now drawing to an end, The Economist asks whether it is goodbye to Mr Thaksin -- or just au revoir for now. NOTES TO EDITORS About The Economist ( www.economist.com ) Edited in London since 1843, The Economist is a weekly international news and business publication, offering clear reporting, commentary and analysis on world politics, business, finance, science, technology, culture, society, media and the arts. Printed in five countries and published on the Internet, Worldwide circulation is now 1,096,154. Because of its international editorialperspective, it is read by more of the worlds political and business leaders than any other magazine. http://www.economist.com/mediadirectory/ For media enquiries, or to receive a copy of the cover photo or the full article, contact: The Consultancy Limited Jo Osborn Tel: +852-3114-6337 Email: [email protected] Sandy Liu Tel: +852-3114-6335 Mobile: +852-9381-9397 Email: [email protected] SOURCE The Economist --Distributed by AsiaNet ( www.asianetnews.net )--