Kitsombat Uamongkol was voted the new president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand for a second time in six months yesterday.
However, the extraordinary general meeting of the LTAT at the National Tennis Development of Thailand headquarters at Muang Thong Thani wasn't incident-free as a small group of voters staged a walkout.
Kitsombat's election to the top LTAT office six months ago failed to lead to a smooth transition and a two-thirds majority of the association members had petitioned to hold fresh elections.
At yesterday's meeting, Adm Bunnawit Kengrieng, representing a member club, objected to absence of an official from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). However, his protest was overruled because the SAT rules do not stipulate the presence of its representative at such meetings.
Bunnawit, together with representatives of three other clubs, walked out of the meeting, which was attended by 58 of the total 61 LTAT members, and did not attend the election.
Kitsombat, who officially vacated his office on Wednesday, turned out to be the only candidate for the post of LTAT president and his election was ratified by 51 members by a show of hands.
"The past six months were very difficult," said Kitsombat. "I worked under a lot of stress and was not able to perform my duties.
"Attending to the lawsuits filed by the opposition made things even more difficult. Many of the executive board members have to go to the court nearly every week.
"I was advised by the Nonthaburi Court to find a solution and we discussed this matter with the SAT before deciding to stage a new elections."
Kitsombat, a former national team player, added: "I submitted my resignation letter on Oct 26, a day before the annual meeting, and I was confidence that the members will vote for me again.
"Now, I shall be able to perform my duties as the LTAT president."
The meeting was presided over by Gen Sompoch Nontachai, the acting LTAT secretary general, while Waipoj Kodbua chief presiding officer for the election.