Thai parties start coalition bargains

Thailand's political parties got down to hard bargaining yesterday after voters rejected last year's military coup but failed to give supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra an outright majority.

The deal-making looks likely to be long and tense after Sunday's vote showed a country polarized between Thaksin supporters in the People Power Party (PPP) and opponents represented mostly by the Democrat Party.

The PPP said it had managed to gain enough support to form a coalition government but refused to name its partners, prompting speculation the announcement might be part of the usual post-election bargaining process.