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BANGKOK (AFP) - - Thailand's election commission said Thursday it was investigating 65 poll winners from the party backing ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged irregularities -- potentially hitting its seat tally.
The People Power Party (PPP) won 233 of the 480 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the December 23 poll, the first election since last year's bloodless coup that removed Thaksin.
"Most of them were accused of vote buying," the commission's secretary general, Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn, told AFP, adding that the PPP politicians were among 83 winners facing investigation over alleged electoral fraud.
Already three PPP politicians have been disqualified for vote buying, according to the commission, and more candidates could yet be disqualified, shuffling the balance of power among the parties.
The outcome of the commission's investigation could hit the PPP's number of seats as the party is preparing to launch a coalition government.
The PPP has announced a coalition with three minor outfits that would give them 254 seats and a slim majority, and has been wooing two mid-sized parties -- Chart Thai and Puea Pandin -- in a bid to strengthen their coalition.
Chart Thai and Puea Pandin have a combined 61 seats.
Kudeb Saikrajang, a PPP spokesman, said the party was confident that it could go ahead with setting up a coalition government.
"We are waiting for its results. We believe we can go ahead with launching our coalition government. We are also confident that the EC is investigating fairly," the spokesman said.
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