Bangkok  - The Democrat party secured the backing of four smaller parties Tuesday to form Thailand's next coalition government, but it remained unclear whether it was sufficient to guarantee their lead.

"We reaffirm that our four parties support the Democrats," said Sanan Kacharnprasart, the acting head of the Chart Thai party which together with the Puea Pendin, Matchimathipataya and Ruan Jai Chart Pattana parties have thrown their support behind the Democrats to lead the next government.

But it was unclear Tuesday whether the "Friends of Newin" faction within the defunct People Power Party (PPP) was still backing the Democrats.

Without the bloc controlled by veteran power broker Newin Chidchob, the Democrats would have only about 240 seats in the 447 seat Lower House, a slim majority.

If the Democrats' alliance succeeds in securing enough support before the reconvening of Parliament some time this week, Democrat leader Aphisit Vejjajiva is likely to become Thailand's 27th next prime minister.

Abhisit, 44, would become Thailand's youngest prime minister if the Democrat bid succeeds. The Democrat party is Thailand's oldest surviving party at 62 years.

Well-known former Democrats include Surin Pitsuwan, the current secretary-general of the secretariat of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Suphachai Panichpakdi, a former head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and current head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD).

A Democrat-led coalition could take Thailand a step towards political normalcy after six months of street protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) that culminated in the seizure of Bangkok's two airports that shut the capital off from commercial flights for a week, crippling the economy.

The Democrats will face a daunting task restoring international confidence in Thailand and repairing the economy, observers said.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport officially reopened Friday, after being shut down on November 26 by thousands of anti-government protestors.

The protestors lifted their siege of Suvarnabhumi last week after former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, was forced to step down by a court ruling that their People Power Party (PPP) committed fraud in the December 23, 2007 polls. The ruling banned Somchai and half the former cabinet from politics for five years.

Two other former coalition partners of the PPP, Chart Thai and Matchiamathipataya, were also dissolved by the court ruling.

Elected members of parliament from the three dissolved parties have shifted to other newly established parties with the majority of the PPP moving to Puea Thai.

But a PPP faction loyal to Newin, whose father Chai is the current House speaker, initially shifted alliance to the Democrats after seeking advice from the politically powerful Army Commander-in-Chief General Anupong Paochinda.

But the Puea Thai party has reportedly offered the renegades vast sums of money to return to the fold and are using other tactics to make them return.

For instance, on Tuesday two coffins were placed in front of the provincial home of Boonjong Wongtrairat, a member of Newin's faction, and a bomb was later thrown in to the compound, although it did not explode.

Thailand is currently under a caretaker government headed by acting Prime Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, another Newin ally. (dpa)