Pheu Thai says no chance it will share power with PPRP after election

“It’s good because Pheu Thai has announced clearly from the beginning that we aim for a landslide victory so that we can form a single-party government,” said Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai.

Phumtham was speaking a day after PPRP deputy chief Paiboon Nititawan dismissed any chance of joining a coalition with Pheu Thai and Move Forward after the May 14 election.

Rumours have been circulating that PPRP has done a deal with Pheu Thai to share power after the election and allow fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to return home without having to serve his prison sentences.

Thaksin, Pheu Thai’s patriarch, faces 10 years in jail after being sentenced in absentia in several corruption-related cases.

“If necessary, we will bring in a pro-democracy party to form a coalition,” Phumtham said, insisting there was no reason for Pheu Thai to share power with PPRP.

“We aim only for a landslide victory so that we can form a government,” he added.

Phumtham said he was confident Pheu Thai would win the election but unsure whether it would gain enough seats to neutralise the votes of 250 senators when Parliament elects a prime minister after the May 14 election.

The 2017 Constitution permits the junta-appointed Senate to join MPs in electing a prime minister for its first eight years. As a result, the May 14 poll may be the last time senators will have a say in selecting the PM.

The 2019 election saw Pheu Thai emerge with the highest number of MPs, but the military-backed PPRP formed the coalition government with 18 smaller parties while 2014 coup leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was elected prime minister with the help of the Senate.

“We want a victory that expresses the people’s wish for change in the country that gives them hope of better lives and a brighter future. So, it’s good that Paiboon clarified things and helped Pheu Thai make our stance clear to the people.”