BANGKOK, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Palang Pracharath (power of people's state) Party on Monday invited Bhumjaithai (proud Thais) Party and Democrat Party to join a coalition government with current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as its head.
Palang Pracharath leader Uttama Savanayana and secretary general Sontirat Sontijirawong visited the Bhumjaithai headquarters for the invitation to join the coalition, which is being formed with the Palang Pracharath Party as its core and Prayut as head of an elected government.
A press statement from the Bhumjaithai Party said the party accepted the invitation, but its leader Anutin Charnvirakul said the Bhumjaithai and Palang Pracharath parties are yet to hold talk on policy matters pertaining to the people's hand-to-mouth situation.
Anutin remarked that the allocation of cabinet seats among coalition parties was not discussed as yet and that only policy matters were raised for talk on Monday.
Uttama, Sontirat and veteran MP Somsak Thepsuthin, head of the so-called Sammit (three friends) Group which is a faction of the party, also visited the Democrat Party headquarters to invite the party to join in the coalition on Monday.
The Palang Pracharath leader commented that policies launched by the Democrat Party and his party were found to be "going in the same directions."
Democrat secretary general Chalermchai Sri-on said a decision on such invitation to join in the Prayut-headed government will be made shortly by his party's executive board and MPs. He said both parties will hold talk again very soon.
The Palang Pracharath-led coalition might consist of as many as 20 parties, a dozen of which has only one MP each while the Palang Pracharath has 115 MPs, the Democrat has 52 MPs and the Bhumjaithai has 51 MPs.
