Samak withdraws from Thai PM vote: aide

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The leader of Thailand's ruling party, Samak Sundaravej, has withdrawn from next week's parliamentary vote for a new prime minister, a close aide to the former premier said on Friday.

"He said he did his best to protect democracy. From now on it's up to the party to decide what to do next," Thirapol Noprampa, a former official in the prime minister's office, told reporters.

(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Roger Crabb)