BANGKOK, Thailand - Allies of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared victory Sunday in Thailand's first election since the military coup that deposed him.
With 95 per cent of the vote counted, the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party had 228 seats in the parliament's 480-seat lower house, the Election Commission announced. The rival Democrat Party, favoured by the movement that toppled Thaksin, won 166 seats, it said.
A complete tally was not expected until Monday but the PPP's failure to win an absolute majority means the Democrat Party could attempt to form a coalition government with some of the 38 other parties that ran, despite the pro-Thaksin side's stronger showing.
That raises the possibility of political instability that would deepen the country's two-year political crisis.
Intense negotiating is expected before a government is formed and a new prime minister announced.
"It is clear that compared to other political parties, the PPP has won the highest number of votes," PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference. He said Thaksin, who was in Hong Kong, had telephoned after hearing the results.
"Thaksin said congratulations," Samak said, inviting "any political parties" to join the PPP to form a coalition government.
"If the PPP succeeds in forming the government, the Democrat Party is ready to be in the opposition to protect the people's interest. However, if the PPP fails to form a government, the Democrat Party is also ready to form a government," said party leader Abhisit Vejajjiva.
Samak said he expected Thaksin to return to Thailand after a government is formed, which he said might take about a month. Samak said that if possible, the PPP would grant amnesty to Thaksin and 110 other executives of his now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, who were barred from office for five years.
"They didn't do anything wrong," Samak said.
The prospect of Thaksin's return has raised fears of another coup by the powerful military.
Last week, the military-installed parliament approved a controversial internal security law that critics warned will let the military keep a grip on power even after the election, which was billed by the government as a return to democracy after 15 months of military rule.
The vote pitted the PPP - widely seen as a reincarnation of the Thai Rak Thai Party - against the Democrat Party, the country's oldest.
The top rivals for next prime minister are a study in stark contrasts.
Samak, 72, is a veteran conservative who has been charged with involvement in corrupt deals while serving as Bangkok's mayor. His earthy style appeals to many, however, and he is seen as Thaksin's proxy.
Critics say Abhisit, 43, British-born and educated at Eton and Oxford, is more comfortable in elite circles than wooing crucial rural voters.
Thaksin's opponents sought to eradicate his political influence by measures such as changing the constitution to limit big political parties' power, and prosecuting the former prime minister on corruption-related charges. And an Election Commission spokesman, Ruangroj Jomsueb, said the commission was investigating more than 100 cases of alleged irregularities, mostly related to vote-buying, which was reportedly rampant in rural areas.
Some victors could lose their seats if found guilty of electoral violations.
Thailand's two years of intense political instability began with large-scale public demonstrations demanding Thaksin resign over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. The protest culminated in a bloodless coup in September 2006.
Thaksin, a 58-year-old billionaire, faces a slew of corruption charges but remains popular among the rural masses and lower income urban residents to whom he offered cheap loans, virtually free medical care and village-based development programs.
He lives in exile in England, where he owns the Manchester City soccer club. The PPP campaigned on a platform of bringing him back and continuing his populist policies.
Voters among the 45 million eligible cast ballots for about 5,000 candidates.
"The economy was prosperous when Thaksin was prime minister and I voted for the People's Power Party because the party leader promised to bring Thaksin back to the country," Pranee Teamsri, who owns a tailor shop on Bangkok's outskirts, said after emerging from a polling station.
But others in Bangkok, where the Democrat Party is strong, criticized Thaksin's regime for its corruption and said the former leader had left Thailand in "a mess."
With 95 per cent of the vote counted, the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party had 228 seats in the parliament's 480-seat lower house, the Election Commission announced. The rival Democrat Party, favoured by the movement that toppled Thaksin, won 166 seats, it said.
A complete tally was not expected until Monday but the PPP's failure to win an absolute majority means the Democrat Party could attempt to form a coalition government with some of the 38 other parties that ran, despite the pro-Thaksin side's stronger showing.
That raises the possibility of political instability that would deepen the country's two-year political crisis.
Intense negotiating is expected before a government is formed and a new prime minister announced.
"It is clear that compared to other political parties, the PPP has won the highest number of votes," PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference. He said Thaksin, who was in Hong Kong, had telephoned after hearing the results.
"Thaksin said congratulations," Samak said, inviting "any political parties" to join the PPP to form a coalition government.
"If the PPP succeeds in forming the government, the Democrat Party is ready to be in the opposition to protect the people's interest. However, if the PPP fails to form a government, the Democrat Party is also ready to form a government," said party leader Abhisit Vejajjiva.
Samak said he expected Thaksin to return to Thailand after a government is formed, which he said might take about a month. Samak said that if possible, the PPP would grant amnesty to Thaksin and 110 other executives of his now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, who were barred from office for five years.
"They didn't do anything wrong," Samak said.
The prospect of Thaksin's return has raised fears of another coup by the powerful military.
Last week, the military-installed parliament approved a controversial internal security law that critics warned will let the military keep a grip on power even after the election, which was billed by the government as a return to democracy after 15 months of military rule.
The vote pitted the PPP - widely seen as a reincarnation of the Thai Rak Thai Party - against the Democrat Party, the country's oldest.
The top rivals for next prime minister are a study in stark contrasts.
Samak, 72, is a veteran conservative who has been charged with involvement in corrupt deals while serving as Bangkok's mayor. His earthy style appeals to many, however, and he is seen as Thaksin's proxy.
Critics say Abhisit, 43, British-born and educated at Eton and Oxford, is more comfortable in elite circles than wooing crucial rural voters.
Thaksin's opponents sought to eradicate his political influence by measures such as changing the constitution to limit big political parties' power, and prosecuting the former prime minister on corruption-related charges. And an Election Commission spokesman, Ruangroj Jomsueb, said the commission was investigating more than 100 cases of alleged irregularities, mostly related to vote-buying, which was reportedly rampant in rural areas.
Some victors could lose their seats if found guilty of electoral violations.
Thailand's two years of intense political instability began with large-scale public demonstrations demanding Thaksin resign over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. The protest culminated in a bloodless coup in September 2006.
Thaksin, a 58-year-old billionaire, faces a slew of corruption charges but remains popular among the rural masses and lower income urban residents to whom he offered cheap loans, virtually free medical care and village-based development programs.
He lives in exile in England, where he owns the Manchester City soccer club. The PPP campaigned on a platform of bringing him back and continuing his populist policies.
Voters among the 45 million eligible cast ballots for about 5,000 candidates.
"The economy was prosperous when Thaksin was prime minister and I voted for the People's Power Party because the party leader promised to bring Thaksin back to the country," Pranee Teamsri, who owns a tailor shop on Bangkok's outskirts, said after emerging from a polling station.
But others in Bangkok, where the Democrat Party is strong, criticized Thaksin's regime for its corruption and said the former leader had left Thailand in "a mess."
10 comments:
Be afraid and fear, because the military will intervene; this time might not be a bloodless coup.
I don't give a fuck who will win in Thaicong politic because all Thaicong leaders in the past and in the present always show off by taking Cambodian land and killing Cambodian people to the Thaicong population to get the vote!
Just wait and see whoever comes to power in Thailane and more Cambodian people will get kill and more Thaicong army will violate Cambodian sovereignty!
I just wish Pol Pot were alive today!
There won't be any military involvement this time, because the people power party is in deep shit. The signs are there. Yesterday for the motherland party and Thai nation party have just proclaimed their alliance to one another. Both parties have been in opposition to the people power party in the past. They surely will not combine their force with PPP. PPP thought they'd get more than 240 seats in the parliament, so they looked down on all other parties with contempt. hahaha with 228 seats they only need 12 more seats to form the government. But with all the bull shit talk and insult they have given other parties, I like to see if they can find merely just 12 seats to form their own government. hahahahahaha
The election result in Thai Land has shown that Thai Land's democracy still has a strong roots even it had been uprooted by the military coup last year. This result has thrown a big blow to the military power which has dominated the country politics for centuries. The Thai people are courageous to cast their votes against the military rulers and their allies even though some parts of the country still under strict military control. The game of democracy in Thai Land is easier to play than in Cambodia because Thai Land is a sovereign and true independent state. there is no political interference from the other country (Vietnam) as is in Cambodia. Whatever they do is on behalf of the interest of their nation; this scenario is not applicable in Cambodian politics at all because Vietnam does not allow us to change hands in the government, for it fears of damaging its interest in Cambodia. So the CPP is only Vietnam's choice in Cambodia; without Vietnamese behind the stage, the CPP cannot survive until today. And Without Vietnamese interferance in Cambodian internal affair, Cambodia's democracy will be more prosperous and surpass Thai Land's democracy.
If your bloodthirsty Pol Pot were alive, you would be in Tuol Sleng like all his friends
In recent years Thai democrats used to be oppositions in Thai politics. They limits themselves. they do not open for great aliance with others despite surviving from court decision eraly this year. Moreover, this current generation of thai democrats have mraginal knowledge running the government. Therefore, Thai people especially intellectuals have expressed their confidence to the other parties rether than Thai Democrats.
So what is the big lesson for SRP in Cambodia? who has been in the oopositions for at least 10 years?. They need to (i) open their heard, convencing the public that SRP is not running by relatives of top management, (ii) mobilize the intellectuals as much as they can by giving them a chance to make it change, (iii) side line the "oppunity seekers" in the Permanent committee.... (iv) set the right and doable strategy that SRP is good at, (v) play the games that the opponents don't dare to start.
If you don't change now, change to win the next election is very marginal and it will be to late to think.
With hi-tech, we intellectuals can be easily mobilized if we are convinced. That is our intention to tell you that you need a drastical change now !!!!!!!!!! otherwisw we opt to give a hand to HRP collectively since their platform sound great with term limit, create the change for young to take over the responsibility, people can select and sake their representatives....
To 9:31AM
Why don't you ask those dirt poor Cambodian people who got their land stolen by AH HUN SEN officials! I can tell you that they want Pol Pot back!
Dirt poor Cambodian people living under AH HUN SEN are far more worst than under Pol Pot! AH HUN SEN officials aren't afraid to use force such as burning down people house or use AK-47 to kill them or even kick them like a dog!
I am not bloodthirsty and going to Tuol Sleng is not an option for me!You are talking to the wrong person!
For Thailande and the world, it is not very important to know wich party is the winner because all the parties will work for their country.
Cambodia's election is very very very important because it is the only country in the world that has to choose between a nationalist party (PSR) and the vietcong invasion party (CPP) and the latter is the stronger.
I don't undersand people. Why we, Khmers, have to interfere with other nation business? Election in another country has nothing to do with us. For our own interest, constructive criticism should be just related our country only. Hatred expression do nothing to serve our interests and purposes.
To 12:05AM!
Say all you want you Cambodian Buddhists peaceful loving stupid people!
I know for a fact all you stupid Cambodian Buddhist people are dying to learn about Buddha in Thailane! Since you can't find or learn about Buddha in Cambodia and you will every fucken excuse finding Buddha in Thailane even if the fucken Thaicong continue to kill and to violate Cambodian sovereignty!
May Buddha bless you all you... you Cambodian Buddhists peaceful loving stupid people!
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