By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thailand’s coalition government led by the Democrat Party seized 20 more House seats out of the 29 vacancies in Sunday’s by-elections in 22 provinces, according to unofficial vote counts released in the evening by the Election Commission (EC).
Among the 20 seats won by the ruling coalition, the leading Democrat Party got seven seats in the House of Representatives, the Chart Thai Pattana party got 10 seats, and the Puea Pandin party had three.
On the opposition side, the Puea Thai Party, the reincarnation of the former ruling People Power Party (PPP) which supported coup-ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, got five seats, while the Pracharaj party got four.
Sunday’s by-elections took place in 26 constituencies of 22 provinces including Bangkok’s Constituency 10.
A total of 29 lawmakers were elected Sunday following the Dec. 2 Constitutional Court ruling that dissolved three political parties in the then ruling coalition government led by premier Somchai Wongsawat, including the then ruling PPP on charges of electoral fraud in the general election held in December 2007.
Twenty-nine MPs in the 480-seat House that belonged to the two disbanded parties — the PPP and the Chart Thai Party were disqualified including then prime minister Somchai, hence the by-elecitons were called.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was appointed Thailand’s new PM after a special parliamentary voting on Dec. 15 and formed a coalition government.
The by-election results added to the modest strength of the Democrat-led government in the House, with 256 seats altogether, while the opposition led by the Puea Thai have 208 seats, according to the report by Thai state TV NBT. Some 16 vacancies were to be filled by more by-elections.
Official results will come out on Monday afternoon, according to the EC.