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Bangkok: The Thai political party allied to deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday that it has recruited enough other parties to form a coalition government, but the claim drew immediate scepticism from its top rival.
The pro-Thaksin People's Power Party (PPP) won 232 seats in Sunday's general election.
To govern, it needs to join hands with at least one of the other six parties who won seats in order to have a majority in the 480-seat House of Representatives. But the second-place Democrat Party, with 166 seats, is also trying to woo smaller parties to the same end.
PPP Secretary-General Surapong Suebwonglee said at a news conference that enough parties had agreed to an alliance to form a coalition with more than half the house seats. The house is supposed to convene within one month of the election.
"After counting the number of parties that have responded and having more than half the seats, there is no problem in forming a government," he said, adding that they should be able to form a stable government with 280-300 seats.
Surapong said he will reveal the names of the would-be partners only after January 3, when the state Election Commission is expected to certify the voting results.
Violations
Surapong's statement was greeted with scepticism by Democrat Secretary-General Suthep Thueksuban, who said the PPP's claim would be credible only when all the party leaders involved announced it publicly at a joint press conference.
Even if the PPP has concluded a deal, it could fall apart if enough of the party's candidates are disqualified for electoral violations such as vote-buying.
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