BANGKOK -- Thailand's pro-junta coalition on Tuesday secured a narrow majority in the lower house of parliament, avoiding a political deadlock by persuading two mid-size parties to join it.
The Democrat Party said it will join the pro-junta camp led by the Palang Pracharat Party, a move that paves the way for a vote in parliament on Wednesday that would keep Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in office and allow him to form a government. The Democrats won 53 out of 500 seats in the lower house, including one additional party-list seat that was awarded by the Election Commission of Thailand on May 28.
