Thailand: Opposition parties meet for tricky coalition talks

Bangkok: Opposition parties in Thailand met for coalition talks in Bangkok on Wednesday, as they seek to convert their shock success in elections at the weekend into a working government.

The liberal Move Forward Party, which won the largest share of the vote, was leading the talks and looking to form the government.

It invited five other parties to the closed-door negotiations.

However, whether the parties can form a government that will then be approved by Thailand’s bicameral legislature — with the upper house appointed by the defeated military-linked government and notoriously conservative in its voting habits — is by no means guaranteed.

They may even struggle for consensus amongst each other on some issues, for instance, the country’s strict lese majeste laws against any criticism of the royal family.

Who was taking part?
The leader of the Move Forward Party, Pita…