A US federal judge has shot down US President Trump’s campaign team’s attempt to block the certification of votes in the state of Pennsylvania. The judge issued the order that also refuted claims of widespread irregularities for mail-in ballots. The news comes after President Trump has refused to concede the election despite other leaders worldwide already recognising Joe Biden, a democrat, as the president-elect. Pennsylvania may have been Mr. Trump’s final hope for arguing against the election results, as the state holds 20 electoral votes. In an attempt to bring the issue into court, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, made an appearance in the court, for the first time in decades, to argue the case. But the US District Court Judge Matthew Brann wasn’t having it. In his order, he detailed Trump’s request for the court to disenfranchise almost 7 million votes. Judge Brann ruled that Pennsylvania officials indeed could certify the election results by showing that Mr. Biden had won the state by 80,000 votes. He further noted that the Trump campaign team presented strained legal arguments “without merit and speculative accusations … unsupported by evidence”. “One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, so much that the court would have no option but to stop the certification even though it would impact so many people. That has not happened.” Despite Pennsylvania’s strong number of votes in the electoral college, Donald Trump still would have needed to win the other lawsuits that he had filed, where his campaign team also asked to delay certification of votes. Following suit, however, most of the courts rejected the lawsuits, citing the need for proof that fraud could have occurred. Giuliani and a Trump campaign lawyer are holding fort by noting that they welcomed the dismissal as they could appeal to the US Supreme Court faster, where Trump has continuously claimed that he has sympathetic justices. Senator Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who helped place Judge Brann on the bench, said the ruling showed Trump had exhausted all possible legal avenues in the state and went on to congratulate Biden on his victory. “Brann is a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist.” Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and New York mayor, didn’t appear to be much of a help in the court after he seemingly confused the meaning of “opacity”, provoked an opposing lawyer, and seemed unaware of the Pennsylvania election code when he said it was illegal for counties to help people vote. Trump’s attorneys also teamed up by saying that the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law was violated when Pennsylvania counties took different approaches to notifying voters before the election about technical problems with their submitted mail-in ballots. The judge dismissed the argument entirely, and Mark Aronchick, an opposing lawyer, addressed Giuliani directly about the Pennsylvania election code Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, tweeted shortly after Brann’s ruling that “another one bites the dust.” “These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end.” SOURCE: Associate Press Want more from the Thaiger family? 📱 Download our app on Android or iOS for instant updates on your mobile 📧 Subscribe to our daily email newsletter 👍 Like/Follow us on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to or Join our YouTube channel for daily video updates<doc-sep>Two exit polls for Thailand’s first election since 2011 indicate that the Thaksin Shinawatra-linked Pheu Thai Party will win the most seats in the parliament’s House of Representatives, an apparent rebuke to the military-backed junta that has led the country since seizing power in 2014. A survey by Thai Research Center Super Poll predicts that Pheu Thai will take a plurality of 163 seats in the 500-member House, with the junta-approved Phalang Pracharat party marching into second place at 96 seats, followed by the Democrat party with 77 seats. Other parties to win seats were the Bhumjaithai Party (yes, the one that wants to legalize marujana) with 59 seats, and the Future Forward party coming in at 40. Meanwhile, another exit poll done by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University also named the Pheu Thai Party the presumptive winner, but with 173 seats. The poll differed on the runners-up, however, placing the Democrat party in second with 88 seats, and Phalang Pracharat with 53, followed by Bhumjaithai at 21. In the university poll, Future Forward came in sixth place with only two seats. All 92,320 polling stations across Thailand closed at 5pm today after the country’s first general election since the junta seized power in 2014. “The polls have closed,” said Election Commission secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma, with authorities anticipating an 80 percent voter turnout. It is important to note that exit polls have been inaccurate in the past. Unofficial results are expected to be announced soon, though an official count isn’t expected to be released until May 8. Additional Reporting by AFP Follow Coconuts on Instagram and Twitter for more fresh and juicy news in your feeds.<doc-sep>BANGKOK — A party allied to junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha said Wednesday the opposition has no mandate to form a coalition pact. Phalang Pracharath insisted it should be the one forming a government because it won more votes than the main opposition party did in Sunday’s election. Its spokesman also criticized Pheu Thai Party for announcing a pact with six other parties to lead a coalition government. “We have the legitimacy to form a majority government and support Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha as the [next] prime minister,” Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana told reporters. “What’s more important, we won the most number of votes, about 8 million of them. This is the vox populi to have Gen. Prayuth as a prime minister.” He said Pheu Thai leader Sudarat Keyuraphan should remind herself that she didn’t win any seat in the party-list quota on Sunday. “Actually, khun ying Sudarat should be more humble, because she wasn’t elected as an MP,” Thanakorn said. “Yet she’s proposing herself as the prime minister.” Leaders of Pheu Thai and its allies held a jointed news conference earlier today in Bangkok where they signed a pact to form a coalition government together. Sudarat said her camp now has 255 MPs combined, exceeding the required majority of 251 seats. Although New Economics Party leader Mingkwan Sangsuwan was not present at the signing of the pact this morning, Pheu Thai aides said he has pledged to support the coalition. An aide of Mingkwan also said his position of not supporting Gen. Prayuth remains “unchanged.” Responding to news about Pheu Thai’s coalition bid, the junta said any attempt to form a government must wait until early May, when His Majesty the King is coronated and voting regulators fully endorse election results. “I don’t know. But it has to be after May 9,” Gen. Prawit told reporters when asked to comment on Pheu Thai Party’s declaration of its coalition pact earlier today. “A government can only be formed after the royal coronation ceremony is over,” he added. King Vajiralongkorn is set to be formally crowned in elaborate rituals running May 4 through May 6, while the Election Commission has said final results of Sunday’s voting will be announced May 9. Deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam also dismissed Pheu Thai’s pact with six other anti-junta parties as a bluff. “It’s their business. Whoever thinks they are ready to take preemptive action or whatever, they can do so,” Wissanu told reporters. “But what they do won’t have any real impact other than a psychological effect.”<doc-sep>A US federal judge has shot down US President Trump’s campaign team’s attempt to block the certification of votes in the state of Pennsylvania. The judge issued the order that also refuted claims of widespread irregularities for mail-in ballots. The news comes after President Trump has refused to concede the election despite other leaders worldwide already recognising Joe Biden, a democrat, as the president-elect. Pennsylvania may have been Mr. Trump’s final hope for arguing against the election results, as the state holds 20 electoral votes. In an attempt to bring the issue into court, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, made an appearance in the court, for the first time in decades, to argue the case. But the US District Court Judge Matthew Brann wasn’t having it. In his order, he detailed Trump’s request for the court to disenfranchise almost 7 million votes. Judge Brann ruled that Pennsylvania officials indeed could certify the election results by showing that Mr. Biden had won the state by 80,000 votes. He further noted that the Trump campaign team presented strained legal arguments “without merit and speculative accusations … unsupported by evidence”. “One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, so much that the court would have no option but to stop the certification even though it would impact so many people. That has not happened.” Despite Pennsylvania’s strong number of votes in the electoral college, Donald Trump still would have needed to win the other lawsuits that he had filed, where his campaign team also asked to delay certification of votes. Following suit, however, most of the courts rejected the lawsuits, citing the need for proof that fraud could have occurred. Giuliani and a Trump campaign lawyer are holding fort by noting that they welcomed the dismissal as they could appeal to the US Supreme Court faster, where Trump has continuously claimed that he has sympathetic justices. Senator Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who helped place Judge Brann on the bench, said the ruling showed Trump had exhausted all possible legal avenues in the state and went on to congratulate Biden on his victory. “Brann is a longtime conservative Republican whom I know to be a fair and unbiased jurist.” Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and New York mayor, didn’t appear to be much of a help in the court after he seemingly confused the meaning of “opacity”, provoked an opposing lawyer, and seemed unaware of the Pennsylvania election code when he said it was illegal for counties to help people vote. Trump’s attorneys also teamed up by saying that the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law was violated when Pennsylvania counties took different approaches to notifying voters before the election about technical problems with their submitted mail-in ballots. The judge dismissed the argument entirely, and Mark Aronchick, an opposing lawyer, addressed Giuliani directly about the Pennsylvania election code Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, tweeted shortly after Brann’s ruling that “another one bites the dust.” “These claims were meritless from the start and for an audience of one,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The will of the people will prevail. These baseless lawsuits need to end.” SOURCE: Associate Press Want more from the Thaiger family? 📱 Download our app on Android or iOS for instant updates on your mobile 📧 Subscribe to our daily email newsletter 👍 Like/Follow us on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to or Join our YouTube channel for daily video updates<doc-sep>
By Jintamas Saksornchai and Asaree Thaitrakulpanich BANGKOK — The Pheu Thai Party said Wednesday it would form a coalition with six other parties to become the next government of Thailand. Pheu Thai jumped ahead of pro-junta Phalang Pracharath Party to announce its coalition bid with the Future Forward, Seri Ruam Thai, Prachachart, Puea Chat, New Economics and Thai People Power parties, saying they have reached enough seats to hold a majority in the lower house. “Pheu Thai has been firm, since our first day of campaigning until election day, that we want to stop the NCPO’s power,” Pheu Thai prime minister candidate Sudarat Keyuraphan said. “We want to carry out the intentions of the people, since we have gotten the majority. We have at least 255 seats, although the numbers are not final yet.” Update: Pro-Junta Party Furious at Pheu Thai Coalition Bid Leaders of the coalition parties including Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Seri Ruam Thai’s Sereepisut Temeeyavets and Prachachart’s Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, were also present at the news conference held Wednesday morning. New Economics’ Mingkwan Sangsuwan was absent but has said he would later hold a separate press conference. Bhumtham Vecchayachai of Pheu Thai noted the New Economics Party’s absence but said that the party has committed to joining with them. Bhumjaithai and Democrat parties, which came in fourth and fifth respectively in the election and therefore may heavily tip the scales of power, are keeping their allegiances under wraps. Democrat’s Korn Chatikavanij however has said it would be “impossible” for him to join Pheu Thai. Sudarat today slammed the election irregularities which she said were caused by “secret power.” Yesterday, she criticized the pro-junta party which nominated Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha to be the next prime minister for trying to form a coalition although it didn’t win the most seats in Sunday’s election. Thanathorn, who has endorsed Pheu Thai’s legitimacy in forming a government, said he and the others would work to end the power of the military government, also known as the National Council of Peace and Order or NCPO. “Me and other political parties here will work together to end the NCPO’s power, which we believe is the desire of the majority,” he said. “The most suitable prime minister for Thailand today is khun ying Sudarat.” Thanathorn formerly sat on the board of Matichon, which owns Khaosod English. Sereepisut called for others who haven’t made a decision to join their cause. “I want to invite all parties, big and small, to join us,” he said. “Otherwise you will be colluding in them continuing their rule.” He also called for Prayuth to resign. “Prayuth, sacrifice yourself. Resign now,” he said. “The media, don’t you guys agree? If you agree, put your hands together,” he said to applause. Prachachart leader Wan Muhamad censured the junta for deteriorating the country’s economic performance. “The economy has been dismal since the junta came into power,” he said. “Which investor wants to take a risk with a government held by a thread?” Songkram Kitlertphairote of the Puea Chat, a network party of Pheu Thai, called on the Election Commission to act transparently. “This is the first page of history. If you do well, then this will impact favorably upon your family and Thailand,” Songkram said. “Citizens have already raised questions about your conduct.” Even the small party Thai People Power Party, which won one seat, joined and called out to other small parties and parties on the fence to join the coalition. “We were watching TV. We had 103,000 votes when they suddenly dropped to 75,000. I wonder where our votes went,” party leader Nikom Boonwiset said. “We are a small party. Don’t let our votes disappear.” He said that some small parties were thinking of joining with Phalang Pracharath. “Some parties think they will get more power if they go to the other side. This is how small parties think,” he said. The Phalang Pracharath has claimed its rights to form a government as it won the highest number of votes. Its leaders said earlier this week they have already started discussing a coalition with other parties, though they did not identify any by name. As the party leaders and MPs were touring parts of Bangkok this morning to thank their supporters, Uttama Savanayana declined to comment when reporters asked him about Pheu Thai’s coalition pact. Additional reporting Chayanit Itthipongmaetee and Teeranai Charuvastra