Banharn said he had told Thaksin outright that he was to remain loyal to his Democrat and Mahachon allies.

"I informed Thaksin that my party will neither contest the repeat vote nor join the next government," he said, reaffirming the opposition's election boycott.

He said he had agreed to sharing a meal with Thaksin out of consideration for their personal ties lasting more than 30 years.

In his talks with Thaksin he said he covered many topics, including the profile of the next prime minister and the constitutional amendments.

"The next prime minister should possess an economic background to tackle the government's cash flow problem," he said.

The incoming government will face depleting coffers, rising prices of utilities and high interest rate, forcing a rethink on spending plans for mega projects, he said.

In regard to the constitutional amendments, he criticised the proposal of Thaksin's deputy Bhokin Bhalakul as cumbersome.

"If Bhokin has his way, the charter rewrite will take more than two years whereas the amendments should not require more than six months to complete if relevant parties make a concerted effort," he said.

He said Thaksin had agreed with him that the 90day rule should be discarded.

Presently, candidates are required to have a party membership for 90 days before qualifying to contest the election. This is seen as an ironclad rule forcing MPs to put the partisan line before the public interest.

Banharn said he also told Thaksin to reflect on his mistakes that had caused the political turmoil.

"Thaksin should start to pay attention to his party instead of consolidating power on himself alone," he said.

Commenting on the political future, he said he could not anticipated anything because politics was on an uncharted course.

"I will wait and see if the House can convene," he said. "Even though the government can overcome electoral hurdles, the House will be a joke under the oneparty domination."

The Nation