This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7158725.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Thai PPP seeks coalition allies Thai parties in coalition talks
(about 3 hours later)
The party allied to Thailand's ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra has called for other parties to join it in government after claiming victory in the election. Rival political parties in Thailand have begun what could be protracted negotiations to form a coalition government after the general election.
Full official results are due on Monday but indications are that the People Power Party (PPP) won 228 seats in the 480-seat house. The People Power Party (PPP), allied to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has won most seats but lacks an absolute majority.
Short of the 241 needed for an absolute majority, PPP leader Samak Sundaravej invited potential coalition partners. The next three biggest parties have ruled out joining the PPP in a coalition for the time being.
The election is the first since the 2006 coup that overthrew Mr Thaksin. Analysts say the result highlights a rejection by rural voters of the 2006 military coup which ousted Mr Thaksin.
Correspondents say the result is a big setback for the military, which has tried to curb Mr Thaksin's influence. Full official results from Sunday's poll are due later on Monday but indications are the PPP has won 228 seats in the 480-seat house.
'Close race' Vote-rigging probe
The Election Commission said virtually all votes had been counted and the situation would now not change greatly. Short of the 241 needed for an outright win, PPP leader Samak Sundaravej is now attempting to woo potential coalition partners.
I will be the next prime minister for sure. I invite all the parties to join our government Samak Sundaravej Key election figuresThailand's turbulent year There is still plenty of room for mischief. Other groups, including the military, must abide by the election decision Bangkok Post editorial Key election figuresThailand's turbulent year
The PPP's main rival, the Democrat Party, is set to win 166 seats and Chart Thai 39. "I will be the next prime minister for sure. I invite all the parties to join our government," he said.
Mr Samak, 72, claimed victory, saying: "I will be the next prime minister for sure." He added that Mr Thaksin had congratulated him in a telephone call from Hong Kong.
He added: "I invite all the parties to join our government." But an official investigation is afoot into allegations of vote-rigging, which could lead to the PPP losing seats.
The leader of the Democrat Party, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said the election had been a "close race". Its main rival, the Democrat Party, is set to win 166 seats.
"If the PPP succeeds in forming a coalition, the Democrat Party is ready to become the opposition. If the PPP fails, then the Democrat Party is ready to form its own coalition," he said. The Democrats' leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said his party was ready to serve as the opposition but was ready to form its own coalition if the PPP failed to do so.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says if there is a coalition, the resulting multi-party government could well prove weak and short-lived. The next two biggest parties - Chart Thai (Thai Nation) and Peau Pandin (Motherland) - appear set to win 65 seats between them and could prove crucial.
They said they would act together and take their time reaching a decision on other possible alliances.
POST-COUP TIMELINE September 2006: Coup overthrows Thaksin ShinawatraOctober 2006: Retired General Surayud Chulanont is appointed interim leaderMay 2007: Court bans Mr Thaksin from politics for five years, and dissolves his partyAugust 2007: Voters approve a new constitution December 2007: Election held In pictures: Thailand votesSend us your commentsPOST-COUP TIMELINE September 2006: Coup overthrows Thaksin ShinawatraOctober 2006: Retired General Surayud Chulanont is appointed interim leaderMay 2007: Court bans Mr Thaksin from politics for five years, and dissolves his partyAugust 2007: Voters approve a new constitution December 2007: Election held In pictures: Thailand votesSend us your comments
Mr Samak said he had spoken to Mr Thaksin, who is in Hong Kong, by telephone. Hostility to the PPP, and its promise to bring Mr Thaksin back from exile, runs high in the military and bureaucratic elite that aligns itself closely with the monarchy, and among much of Bangkok's middle class.
"Thaksin said 'congratulations'," Mr Samak said. The BBC's Jonathan Head in the Thai capital says the PPP could be kept from office if the Democrats succeed in cobbling together a coalition.
The PPP leader added: "This is a victory for all Thai people who unreasonably lost their freedom on 19 September." But whatever multi-party government emerges could well prove weak and short-lived, he adds.
That was the date in 2006 when the military removed Mr Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai party from power. In Thailand's system, parliament must meet within 30 days of the election and then has a month to elect a prime minister.
Mr Thaksin, who is now banned from Thai politics, has since lived in self-imposed exile abroad, mainly in Britain. The Bangkok Post said in an editorial: "There is still plenty of room for mischief. Other groups, including the military, must abide by the election decision."
But his allies have promised he would return and that the five-year political ban on him would be overturned. The PPP - seen as a reincarnation of Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party - focused on the poor, rural vote, while the Democrats relied on the middle-class urban vote.
If he does return to Thailand, Mr Thaksin will have to answer a number of corruption charges levelled against him in the courts. Since the coup of September 2006, Mr Thaksin, now banned from Thai politics, has lived in self-imposed exile abroad, mainly in Britain.
Election monitors said voting had mostly proceeded smoothly and been well-organised, despite complaints of vote-buying and other irregularities. If he does return to Thailand, as his allies want, Mr Thaksin will have to answer a number of corruption charges levelled against him in the courts.
The PPP has concentrated mainly on the poor, rural vote that buoyed Mr Thaksin, while the Democrats have relied on the middle-class urban vote.