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Thai opposition says wins over ruling MPs in power bid
Sat Dec 6, 2008 5:01am EST
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By Nopporn Wong-Anan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition Democrat Party said on Saturday it had gained the support of five parties in the ruling coalition and would try to win over some main party lawmakers as well in its bid to form a new government.
An influential member of the sixth and biggest party in the government said 37 of its lawmakers were pulling out of the party, adding to the confusion in the race to find a new prime minister.
The courts disbanded three coalition parties, including the biggest, the People Power Party (PPP), on Tuesday for electoral fraud and their leaders had to step down as ministers.
Parliament must elect a new prime minister to succeed Somchai Wongsawat, and the parties are jostling for influence.
Lawmakers from the disbanded parties have simply switched to "shell" parties and so the ruling coalition could in theory remain in place, albeit with parties of different names.
But Democrat spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said his party hoped to prevent that.
"The Democrats are offering to lead a new coalition, with the support of five parties, and we are open to more people joining us," he said, adding the party would hold a news conference later on Saturday.
The Democrats and the five small parties may just be able to command a majority in parliament.
According to figures from parliamentary officials, the Democrats, with 165 seats, plus the five coalition parties it has wooed would have a total of 229 votes in parliament. The People Power Party, now Puea Thai, has 219.
STREET PROTESTS
The court ruling on Tuesday came as the extra-parliamentary People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) was blockading Bangkok's main airports, stranding hundreds of thousands of tourists and disrupting cargo as part of its campaign to oust the government.
The PAD ended the blockade after the ruling but has made it clear it will resume its campaign if it doesn't like the new government. It accused the PPP of being a front for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup in 2006.
The Democrats would be greatly helped if any lawmakers jumped ship from the government side, and one senior figure in the old PPP, Newin Chidchob, promised just such defections on Saturday.
"Political parties must join hands to break this deadlock to return peace and order to the country," he told the daily Matichon in an interview.
"Therefore, all 37 MPs in the Friends of Newin group will help find a new prime minister who can restore confidence and the economy," he added. Continued...
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