11 small parties to formally announce their stand on new government
Eleven small and lesser known parties are due to hold a Press conference this afternoon (Monday), at the Centara Grand Central Plaza Hotel, to announce their joint position regarding the ongoing race, between the Palang Pracharat and Pheu Thai parties, to form a coalition government.
The Press conference was announced by Pol Gen Yongyuth Thepchamnong, leader of the Prachaniyom party, who also claims to represent the Palang Chart Thai, Prachapiwat, Palang Thai Rak Thai, Khru Thai Pheu Prachachon, Prachatham Thai, Polamuang Thai, Prachatippatai Mai, Palangdham Mai, Thai Sriwalai and Thai Rak Tham parties.
These parties were each awarded a party-list seat by the Election Commission last week through its controversial calculation method, which has been criticized as distorting the mixed member proportional representation system which set an average of 70,000 popular votes for one party-list seat.
All the 11 parties received fewer than 71,000 votes each in the March 24th election.
Desperate to get at least 251 votes to claim the legitimacy to form a coalition government against the Pheu Thai party-led alliance, the pro-Prayut Palang Pracharat party will bank on the support of these small parties in addition to the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties, which are yet to officially announce their decisions to join a coalition government.
