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| Thaksin allies unveil coalition | Thaksin allies unveil coalition |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thailand's People Power Party (PPP) has announced a coalition government with five smaller parties, following December's elections. | Thailand's People Power Party (PPP) has announced a coalition government with five smaller parties, following December's elections. |
| The move came after a court dismissed legal challenges against the PPP, which won the largest share of the vote. | The move came after a court dismissed legal challenges against the PPP, which won the largest share of the vote. |
| The party is allied to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by the military in 2006. | The party is allied to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by the military in 2006. |
| Its opponents had claimed the party was merely a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who was banned from politics for five years. | Its opponents had claimed the party was merely a proxy for Mr Thaksin, who was banned from politics for five years. |
| The PPP's leader Samak Sundaravej told a news conference on Saturday that it had taken "a long time to get here" but the coalition's two-thirds majority meant "the government can last a long time". | |
| Mr Samak said parliament would reconvene on Monday, when a new prime minister would be chosen. | |
| The name must then be submitted to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for approval - a formality that usually takes a few days. | |
| Mr Samak, 72, who served as deputy prime minister alongside Mr Thaksin in 1995, adopted a populist platform for the election campaign and promised voters he would work to improve the economy. | |
| Return question | Return question |
| The PPP won the most seats in December's national polls but several challenges threatened to prevent it from forming a government. | |
| Sixty five of the 233 seats it won have been investigated by the Election Commission - far more than any other party. Three were disqualified and others ordered to face re-runs. | Sixty five of the 233 seats it won have been investigated by the Election Commission - far more than any other party. Three were disqualified and others ordered to face re-runs. |
| The Supreme Court had also heard a claim filed by Democrat candidate Chaiwat Sinsuwong, who alleged that the PPP was a proxy for Mr Thaksin's dissolved Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party and should therefore be banned. | |
| Many TRT members went on to form the PPP. | Many TRT members went on to form the PPP. |
| The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says many in Thailand had started to believe that Mr Thaksin's opponents, who wield huge influence behind the scenes, would use the judiciary to keep his allies from office. | The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says many in Thailand had started to believe that Mr Thaksin's opponents, who wield huge influence behind the scenes, would use the judiciary to keep his allies from office. |
| The next big question confronting Thailand as it returns to democratic rule, he says, is when Mr Thaksin will come home and whether he will be allowed to play a political role again. | The next big question confronting Thailand as it returns to democratic rule, he says, is when Mr Thaksin will come home and whether he will be allowed to play a political role again. |