By IRNA
Bangkok : Thailand’s People Power Party (PPP), which placed first in Sunday’s general election, but still fell short of an absolute majority to enable it to become a single-party government, will approach two smaller parties to form a coalition government, a PPP spokesman said Monday.
Kuthep Saikrajang said although final election results had not been officially announced, senior PPP executives would confer with Chart Thai (Thai Nation) and Puea Pandin parties to form a coalition government, TNA reported.
Kuthep said he believed Banharn Silpa-archa, leader of the Chart Thai party and former prime minister who is acquainted with Samak Sundaravej, PPP leader, could agree to form a coalition government to solve the problems prevailing in Thailand.
One immediate problem to be faced in forming any government is issuance of ‘yellow’ and ‘red’ cards by the Election Commission which may disqualify some winning candidates.
This could obstruct the formation of a coalition government , said Mr. Kuthep, adding that PPP party had followed election laws strictly and that his party had no worries about having violated the laws.
Meanwhile, Mr. Banharn who went into seclusion from the press since Sunday afternoon, visited Vatana Asavahem, a leading member of Puea Pandin Party, at his home late Sunday night in what was seen as an attempt to join with any of the two major parties ? PPP and the Democrat Party ? to form a coalition government, expected within 30 days.
Unofficial election results released by the Election Commission showed that the PPP won 228 seats nationwide out of a total 480 seats available, while the Democrat Party, Thailand?s oldest, collected 166 seats.
Suriyasai Katasila, secretary-general of Campaign for Popular Democracy, said he believed an agreement between the Chart Thai and Puea Pandin parties could be interpreted as an attempt to isolate the PPP because Mr. Banharn had said earlier that his party would not join the PPP, a proxy of disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party which was founded by deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in the new government.