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Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva pledged yesterday to focus on revitalising the economy and forge reconciliation if elected by the House as the next prime minister.

"The installation of the government will follow the parliamentary process sanctioned by the Constitution," he said, dismissing speculation about underhand tactics by his party or Pheu Thai to outwit their rivals in forming a coalition to govern.

Abhisit insisted he and faction leader Newin Chidchob agreed on four points that would form a basis for the Democrat-led coalition.

The four points were safeguarding the country and monarchy, revitalising the economy, advancing democracy by revamping the political system acceptable to all sides and ensuring the rule of law in order to forge reconciliation, he said.

A Democrat-led coalition would strive to implement the four goals and the regime would take power on the basis of shared aspirations of coalition partners, not by manipulating House votes to achieve a majority.

He ruled out fears that his chance to lead the next coalition would diminish after Sunday, the date for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's next "phone-in" to try to woo MPs to back the Pheu Thai Party.

Abhisit said the Democrats and four coalition parties had made the preparations needed to launch the next government, but the Pheu Thai Party and Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong had not finalised details on forming a national government.

The Democrat head said he could reason with the People's Alliance for Democracy in order to pave way for charter amendments to improve on the political system, since the PAD also wanted to introduce ideas about "new politics". They would also require a rewrite of the charter.

It was too early to discuss the format for rewriting the constitution, he said, as the problem at hand was putting a government in place.

Meanwhile, at a seminar at Thammasat University yesterday to commemorate Constitution Day, independent academic and historian Nidhi Eoseewong said poverty eradication was not really on the agenda for Thai politicians from any party.

He said Thaksin might have encouraged people to dream about a better future with the Bt30 universal health scheme and scholarships to help poor students study abroad, but only the lower middle class benefited from his policies, not the really poor. Thaksin was never successful in eradicating poverty, he said.

"The Democrats don't have a policy that will work to eradicate poverty. That's because our democratic mechanism doesn't work with the poor. The poor's problems had never been reported as a government's policy [goal]. The troubles of the poor have never passed to the minds of government policy-makers, no matter from which party," he said.

Political conflicts would remain, Nidhi said, whether the country had a prime minister from the Democrats or Pheu Thai Party.

Social critic Sulak Sivaraksa said the Democrats had never really understood the poor's problems. They only used rhetoric [to say they did]. But having their leader Abhisit Vejjajiva talking and listening to the poor would help.

Sulak said he believed the Democrats would make a better government than the past three administrations.