Thailand's pro-Thaksin party says they can form govt
Agence France-Presse
BANGKOK - Allies of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday they had enough seats to form a government after three minor parties joined their coalition.
"The four parties have agreed to cooperate in forming the government and we are confident we can absolutely form the government," said Samak Sundaravej, leader of the Thaksin-linked People Power Party (PPP).
"It will be 254 government seats," he added.
PPP won 233 of the 480 seats in the lower house in elections on December 23, just short of the absolute majority needed to govern alone.
The Democrat Party came second in the poll -- the first since a coup in 2006 -- with 165 seats, but refused to join a PPP-led government, forcing Thaksin's allies to woo the five small parties who shared the remaining seats.
PPP's coalition partners Rum Jai Thai Chart Pattana, Matchima Party and Pracharaj party won 21 seats between them in the election, giving the grouping led by the PPP 254 seats.
PPP will likely see its share of seats shrink to 230, however, after the Election Commission on Sunday said it was moving to disqualify three of the party's winning candidates over allegations of vote buying.
By-elections will be held within 30 days, after a government legal body approves the commission's decision.
Samak said that even if the three candidates' victories were overturned, it would not effect their coalition.
"Even if we are down to 251 seats, we still can set up the government," he told reporters.
The leader of the third biggest party -- Chart Thai which scooped 37 seats -- hinted Monday that it too was thinking of joining forces with PPP.
Banharn Silpa-archa said that PPP had accepted Chart Thai's conditions, meaning that a coalition would be "no problem".
"PPP said they can do it, they can accept it, if they can follow those five conditions the country will be at peace and there will be reconciliation, so I answer them that there will be no problem," he told reporters.
He said Chart Thai would reveal its official position on Wednesday, while PPP officials have said they will formally announce the full details of their coalition government on Friday.
PPP is widely seen as the proxy party of Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006.
He has been living in exile since then, mostly in England where he bought Manchester City football club, but has said he wants to return to Thailand by April.
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