Thai Voters Set Stage for New Coalition : No Party Wins Majority in Parliament; Premier’s Return Likely

Thai voters Sunday spread their parliamentary choices among a welter of competing parties, setting the stage for another coalition government here.

The favored Democrat Party won the largest number of seats, capturing 101 of the 347 contested positions in the lower house of Parliament, according to unofficial returns this morning.

The voter turnout in Bangkok and elsewhere appeared even lighter than the 55% predicted for the country. Election officials put the Bangkok turnout at 37%.

Police reported four election-related killings Sunday and 26 arrests for campaign violations.

Prem Return Expected

The Democrat Party leader, Bhichai Rattakul, wrapped up the campaign Saturday still insisting that the next prime minister should come from the ranks of elected members of Parliament. For the past 6 1/2 years, that job has been held by Prem Tinsulanonda, a retired general chosen as a compromise “outsider.”

Political analysts foresee another Prem-led government, built on a coalition of the Democrats and two or three other top parties. But if Bhichai is adamant in his demands, the Democrats could be forced into opposition, creating a larger and less stable coalition. Sunday night, in the wake of his party’s victory, Bhichai indicated some flexibility on the issue.

Already Negotiating

No party, including the Democrats, anticipated winning a majority of the 347 seats at stake. Negotiations among possible coalition partners began even before the voting got under way Sunday morning. Two weeks of horse-trading on Cabinet posts is likely before a government is announced.

Fifteen of the 16 parties in the election won some seats, although unofficial returns this morning showed that six parties won three seats or less. Besides the Democrat Party, the strongest parties were Social Action, which was the largest party in the last coalition, 43 seats in Sunday’s voting, Chart Thai (Thai Nation) with 62 seats, Prachakorn Thai, 39 seats, and United Democratic Party, 34 seats.

No major changes in domestic or foreign policies are expected, although Sommai Hoontrakun, Prem’s current finance minister and the author of a controversial tight-money policy, has said he wants to step down. The foreign minister, Siddhi Savetsila, who supports the country’s pro-Western policies, held onto his parliamentary seat, according to early returns.

Voting began at 8 a.m. and ended eight hours later in polling places at schools and Buddhist temples. All Thais 20 years or older were eligible to vote except for members of the royal family, Buddhist monks and prisoners.

In the Dusit district in Bangkok, home of several military bases, uniformed soldiers voted outside their gates.