The Pheu Thai Party has welcomed the Chartthaipattana Party, along with its 10 MPs, into its coalition, raising the number of House seats held by the coalition to 238 out of the total 500.
Both parties on Thursday morning expressed their commitment to seeking cooperation from all political parties and the Senate for the election of a new prime minister and the formation of a new government.
Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said during a joint statement at the parliament that the country is in a unique political situation and all parties needed to join forces to address constitutional issues, economic challenges and social conflicts.
The two parties urged the public to have confidence in their alliance, which is intended to bring the Thai society back to normal quickly.
Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa said he thanked Pheu Thai for inviting his party to the coalition. Chartthaipattana was happy to accept the invitation and become a coalition partner, he said.
Mr Varawut cited shared policies and perspectives between Pheu Thai and Chartthaipattana and expressed confidence in Pheu Thai's potential to lead the upcoming administration.
With the inclusion of Chartthaipattana, the alliance now consists of nine parties. Earlier Pheu Thai withdrew from its previous eight-party coalition with the May 14 general election winner Move Forward Party (MFP). The MFP had 151 House seats while Pheu Thai came second with 141 seats.
Pheu Thai later teamed up with the Bhumjaithai Party, which came third in the election with 71 House seats. On Wednesday Pheu Thai announced its coalition had six more political parties.
In the press conference, Pheu Thai leader Cholnan said that the previous eight-coalition alliance with Move Forward with a total of 312 House seats failed to form a government despite the best efforts from Pheu Thai.
The Pheu Thai-led coalition would have a majority of votes in the 500-seat House before the parliament vote for prime minister, said Mr Cholnan.
The vote could take place next week depending on the outcome of a Constitutional Court meeting on Aug 16 to review a petition against an earlier decision by parliament to block the renomination of MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat.
Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai said that Pheu Thai representatives’ meeting with the MFP on Wednesday was not an invitation for the latter to join the coalition government. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate and daughter of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also attended the meeting. The talks were inconclusive.
Pheu Thai is hopeful that Move Forward MPs will vote for the new coalition’s prime ministerial candidate even though the party is now almost certain to be in the opposition.
A meeting of Move Forward MPs resolved earlier this week that each member should seek the views of his or her constituents about whether they believe the party should support the Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate.
Many Move Forward MPs have been using their social media platforms, notably X (formerly Twitter), to conduct polls among their constituents. So far, a large majority of the responses have been opposed to the party voting for the Pheu Thai PM candidate.
