by Shen Min

    BANGKOK, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) --Thai six political parties, led by the People Power Party (PPP), which grabbed most MP seats in the Dec. 23 general election, on Saturday officially announced here that they will form a coalition government.

    Present at a joint press conference at a Bangkok Hotel Saturday afternoon were the PPP leader Samak Sundaravej and the party's secretary general Surapong Suebwonglee, along with representatives from the other five parties including Chart Thai (Thai Nation) Party deputy leader Sanan Kachornprasart, Puea Pandin (For the motherland) Party leader Suvit Khunkitti, Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana (Thais United National Development) Party leader Chettha Thanajaro and Matchima Thipataya (Neutral Democratic) Party Secretary-General Anongwan Thepsuthin, and Pracharaj (Royal People)Party leader Sanoh Thienthong.

Samak Sundaravej (L), chairman of the People Power Party (PPP), greets the press during a joint press conference in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, Jan. 19, 2008. Samak Sundaravej, along with representatives from the other five parties -- Chart Thai (Thai Nation) Party, Puea Pandin (For the motherland) Party, Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana (Thais United National Development) Party, Matchima Thipataya (Neutral Democratic) Party and Pracharaj (Royal People) Party, announced on Saturday at the joint press conference to form a coalition government.(Xinhua Photo/Ling Shuo)
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    Samak said at the press conference that the six-party coalition, with a total of 315 MP seats in the 480-member House of Representatives, will be strong enough to form a new government.

    Representatives from the five parties said that the election has seen the PPP win 233 parliamentary seats, which showed the majority people have supported the PPP and made it eligible to form a government, so that their parties decided to join the PPP-led coalition for the benefits of the country.

    The formation of the six-party coalition will leave the Democrat Party, which won 165 MP seats and rejected to join the PPP-led coalition, as the sole opposition party in the House.

    When asked if he would become Thailand's new prime minister as he vowed to be during the election campaign, Samak said the press conference was only for announcing the coalition, and the premier candidacy will be discussed and decided in the parliament.

    Samak, a 72-year-old outspoken veteran politician and former deputy prime minister, was widely tipped to become Thailand's 25thprime minister, but there are also speculations that he might be sidelined in the cabinet formation to sacrifice for a reconciliation with other parties in the coalition and other non-party forces, according to local media reports.

    The parties are now believed to be on the last stage of bargaining as to who will fit in the 36 ministerial posts in the new cabinet. The line-up will be disclosed in early February.

    PPP's deputy leader Noppadon Pattama, also a former legal advisor to ousted premier Thaksin, earlier said the party will ask for top posts at the five main ministries of Defense, Interior, Justice, Finance and Commerce.

    The formation of a PPP-led coalition government has been expected, and it will become only legally feasible after the Supreme Court cleared one big hurdle on the way by dismissing attempts to nullify the voting results of the general election and to question the legitimacy of the PPP's election victory.

    The Supreme Court on Friday ruled against the petition by New Aspiration Party spokesman Sarawut Thongpen that sought to annul the outcome of the advance and absentee voting on Dec. 15 and 16. The verdict held that the advance voting was valid and that the Election Commission (EC) was properly authorized to organize the two-day voting.

    It also threw out lawsuits brought by former Democrat Party MP candidate Chaiwat Sinsuwong, who had also questioned the fairness of the advance voting results, and asked the court to rule if the PPP is a proxy for the former ruling party Thai Rak Thai party (TRT), now disbanded, and the PPP leader Samak is a nominee for the TRT founder, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

    The TRT was disbanded on a court verdict on electoral fraud charges last May, and its 111 party executives, including Thaksin, were banned from running for political posts for five years.

    Many former TRT members joined the PPP, formerly a fringe party, and its new leader Samak openly voiced his support for the ousted prime minister Thaksin.

    Most votes won by PPP in the Dec. 23 election have come from TRT's traditional strong-base in the North and Northeast, where Thailand's rural majority live and are believed to have benefited from Thaksin administration's populist policies.

    A verdict against the PPP and Samak might have smashed the hope for the PPP to lead a new coalition government or to exist ever, or for Samak to be the country's new premier.

    However, the Court decided to dismiss the cases, citing that the authority to rule on the proxy case relies on the Constitutional Court rather than the Supreme Court.

    Meanwhile, the EC endorsed on Friday the election victory of 460 MPs to be expected to convene their first meeting on Jan. 21.

    According to the PPP, the House will choose a House Speaker next Tuesday and a Prime minister next Friday.

    The new PPP-led government will be the first elected government after a military coup ousted the former government led by Thaksin on September 19, 2006.

Thailand's Supreme Court clears way for PPP to form coalition gov't

    BANGKOK, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Supreme Court on Friday cleared one big hurdle on the way towards the formation of a new coalition government after it endorsed the validity of the December election and threw out a case that might have led to disbandment of the election winner People Power Party (PPP).

Thailand starts by-elections in Northeast

    BANGKOK, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Thailand started its first by-elections of last month's general election in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday, to fill the three MPs (Member of Parliament) posts whose winners were disqualified by the Election Commission earlier.

Thailand's winning party to set up new party if dissolved

    BANGKOK, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The People Power Party (PPP) of Thailand, which won last month's general election by 233 parliament seats, said on Friday that it can set up a new party if it loses the lawsuits seeking its dissolution.

Thailand's Council of State confirms disqualification of 3 elected PPP MPs

   BANGKOK, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A special committee of Thailand's Council of State ruled unanimously on Monday against the appeal by the People Power Party (PPP), that the Election Commission (EC)'s decision to void the election victory of three PPP MP candidates in the northeastern province of Buri Ram for vote-buying was in accordance to law.

Thailand's PPP announces forming coalition gov't with three other parties

People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej speaks during a news conference in Bangkok December 31,2007. PPP, which won 233 of 480 parliamentary seats in the December 23 election, said its tentative four-party coalition controlled about 254 seats in the lower House of Representatives. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    BANGKOK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Samak Sundaravej, leader of the People Power Party (PPP), which won Thailand's post-coup general election, officially announced Monday that three other parties have agreed to join a PPP-led coalition government, which will together garner 254 out of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives.

Thai PPP leader announces victory, reaffirming his premiership

   BANGKOK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej said on Sunday night that his party has already become the biggest party in Parliament according to the early voting result of Sunday's general election, and he will be the new prime minister absolutely.