Quote:The Democrat Party will take the cold opposition bench all alone as the Chart Thai Party - Puea Pandin Party alliance has agreed to take the offer to join the People Power Party-led coalition.

Warawut Silapa-archa, a son of Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa, confirmed Saturday that his father had agreed to take the People Power's invitation to join its coalition.

A PPP source had earlier said Chart Thai and Puea Pandin Parties had already agreed to join the PPP-led government, making a six-party coalition, commanding a 315-seat majority, thus leaving the Democrat Party as the sole opposition party.

Other smaller parties, which have already agreed to join the coalition, are the Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana with nine House seats, Matchima Thipataya with 7 House seats and Pracharaj with five seats.

Warawut said the Chart Thai agreed to join the coalition in line with its agreement with the Puea Pandin to stay together.

Warawut said the Chart Thai and Puea Pandin will hold a joint press conference on Wednesday to announce their decision to join the coalition.

The offer for the Chart Thai to join the coalition was made to Banharn on Friday when leading PPP members visited Banharn at the Ramathibodi Hospital, where Banharn was seeking treatment.

PPP deputy leader Somchai Wongsawas, a brother-in-law of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said Friday night that the offer was meant to create a an even more stable coalition government.

Warawut said the stand of the Puea Pandin and Chart Thai might appear confusing because the PPP made separate offers to them to join the coalition after the two parties announced they would stick together.

Warawut said the two parties had separately accepted the offer so they would hold the joint press conference on Wednesday to make their joint stand clear to the public.


The Nation