Thai victor seeks coalition

Man of the moment: Thaksin signs autographs at a Bangkok shopping centre

Thaksin Shinawatra, whose Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party won a clear victory in Saturday's elections, says he hopes to form a three-party governing coalition.

Chuan Leekpai has admitted defeat

Mr Thaksin said he planned to form a coalition comprising about 320 seats in the 500-seat House of Representatives by Thursday.

Unofficial results published by the Department of the Interior give Thai Rak Thai an unprecedented absolute majority, with 255 seats.

But Mr Thaksin himself could still find himself banned from politics by the Constitutional Court for breaking the law by making incomplete asset returns in the 1990s.

The National Counter Corruption Commission ruled last month that Mr Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon, had deliberately concealed his vast wealth when he was deputy prime minister in 1997.

If the Constitutional Court upholds that ruling, he will be barred from public office for five years.

Admitting defeat

The Democrat Party (DP) of veteran Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has already acknowledged defeat.

The party is expected to win around 128 seats, mainly in southern Thailand.

Doubts remain about the validity of many votes

DP deputy leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said: "We are ready to be the opposition party.

"The polls showed that people have voted for us to be the opposition and we abide by the people's wish."

However, the country's Election Commission said it had received a flood of complaints about alleged voting fraud and technical errors which had delayed the result.

"We can't announce any official count and can't say when the official count result will be released," added commissioner Yuwarut Gamolvej.

Officials have predicted that re-elections may have to be held in more than 100 constituencies following allegations of vote-buying and fraud.

New party, old faces

Local television stations said Thai Rak Thai, which was fighting its first election, had won around 51% of the popular vote, making Mr Thaksin's victory the biggest win since the abolition of Thailand's absolute monarchy in 1932.

Although the party is new, most of the senior figures are established politicians who have defected from other groups.

It is widely believed that The New Aspiration Party will be the second party in the new coalition.

New Aspiration is headed by Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a former prime minister who was forced to resign in 1997 during the Asian financial crisis.

Although Mr Thaksin won a slim absolute majority he has said he wants about 320 seats to form a stable government.