Pro-Thaksin Thai party says to head next government

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The party backing ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Sunday it aimed to form a coalition government after falling just short of an outright majority in the first election since a 2006 coup.

"Usually, the people who get the most seats form a government," People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej told a news conference. "We invite all parties to join us to form a government."

Samak, whose PPP won around 230 of the 480 seats in parliament, just short of the 241 needed to govern alone, said he would "certainly be prime minister".

(Editing by Michael Battye)