Guardian News & Media
Unity government increases majority in parliament by winning nearly 70% of contested seats
Thailand's shaky coalition government strengthened its hold on power today when it won most of the seats up for grabs in by elections that were the administration's first big test at the ballot box.
Initial results from yesterday's polls showed the government of the British-born prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, scooped 20 of the 29 seats being fought.
The poll verdict on the government, elected by parliament last month, offered the hope of stability after months of unrest that peaked when demonstrators opposed to the previous prime minister closed down Thailand's main international airport for eight days.
But the results will be a bitter blow for allies of the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had hoped to narrow Eton and Oxford-educated Abhisit's thin parliamentary majority.
Abhisit, 44, who plans to implement a £6bn stimulus package to revive Thailand's flagging economy and boost his popularity with the rural poor, immediately hailed the results as a vote to heal the political divisions.
"The results show that the public wants the country to move forward," he said. "People want to reduce the political rift. It also reflects that they want the government to solve the country's economic and social problems."
Most of the by elections were triggered when a constitutional court toppled the previous pro-Thaksin government and barred dozens of MPs from office for electoral fraud during the December 2007 general election.
Abhisit's Democrat party, which holds only 161 seats in the 480-seat parliament, cobbled together a parliamentary majority last month when it persuaded members of the previous governing party and some allies to defect.
In a piece of fancy political footwork, Abhisit's coalition was able to muster 235 MPs, giving it a slender majority of 37 that left it vulnerable to pressure from its allies in smaller parties. The victory in Sunday's polls bolsters its majority.
The result will boost the standing of the young and telegenic Abhisit, whose support is rooted in Bangkok's royalist elite, and may ease concerns that he lacks political experience.
"It will be easier [for the coalition] to pass measures to help boost the economy and ward off attempts to bring down the government," said Sukhum Nuansakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
But Thailand remains deeply divided even though the dismissal of the last government ended six months of demonstrations that were often violent. They were replaced by smaller and more muted protests by supporters allied to Thaksin opposed to the Abhisit government, which was accused of staging a judicial coup.
Thailand's shaky coalition government strengthened its hold on power today when it won most of the seats up for grabs in by elections that were the administration's first big test at the ballot box.
Initial results from yesterday's polls showed the government of the British-born prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, scooped 20 of the 29 seats being fought.
The poll verdict on the government, elected by parliament last month, offered the hope of stability after months of unrest that peaked when demonstrators opposed to the previous prime minister closed down Thailand's main international airport for eight days.
But the results will be a bitter blow for allies of the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had hoped to narrow Eton and Oxford-educated Abhisit's thin parliamentary majority.
Abhisit, 44, who plans to implement a £6bn stimulus package to revive Thailand's flagging economy and boost his popularity with the rural poor, immediately hailed the results as a vote to heal the political divisions.
"The results show that the public wants the country to move forward," he said. "People want to reduce the political rift. It also reflects that they want the government to solve the country's economic and social problems."
Most of the by elections were triggered when a constitutional court toppled the previous pro-Thaksin government and barred dozens of MPs from office for electoral fraud during the December 2007 general election.
Abhisit's Democrat party, which holds only 161 seats in the 480-seat parliament, cobbled together a parliamentary majority last month when it persuaded members of the previous governing party and some allies to defect.
In a piece of fancy political footwork, Abhisit's coalition was able to muster 235 MPs, giving it a slender majority of 37 that left it vulnerable to pressure from its allies in smaller parties. The victory in Sunday's polls bolsters its majority.
The result will boost the standing of the young and telegenic Abhisit, whose support is rooted in Bangkok's royalist elite, and may ease concerns that he lacks political experience.
"It will be easier [for the coalition] to pass measures to help boost the economy and ward off attempts to bring down the government," said Sukhum Nuansakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
But Thailand remains deeply divided even though the dismissal of the last government ended six months of demonstrations that were often violent. They were replaced by smaller and more muted protests by supporters allied to Thaksin opposed to the Abhisit government, which was accused of staging a judicial coup.
3 comments:
THAILAND BELONGS TO THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
BRAVO!! you are so right dude...there's nothing for thais from the begining!! they tricks, robbs, stealing from khmer!!
Ah siamese thief!!
The ex-premier (Thaksin) in exiled is not going to be silent and take it easy on Abhishit. He will try to come up with something to trouble Abhishit and give a lot of headache before he gives up. So peace is yet to be last for the new gov’t. We’ll see about that.
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