Thaksin Allies Ahead in Early Thai Vote
"Asia"12/23/2007
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Allies of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra looked headed for victory in Thailand's post-coup election but have not secured an absolute majority in parliament, the Election Commission said Sunday based on early results.
The outcome is likely to deepen the country's two-year political crisis.
With 40 percent of the vote counted, the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party has won 229 seats in the 480-seat lower house of Parliament, an Election Commission official said speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the official release of results.
The rival Democrat Party has won 165 seats, the official said.
Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006 but retains widespread popularity among the rural majority. PPP campaigned on a platform of bringing Thaksin back from exile in London and continuing his populist policies.
Full results were expected before noon EST in an election billed as a return to democracy after 15 months of military-backed government.
The pro-Thaksin side's failure to capture an absolute majority might allow the Democrat Party to bring in partners to form a coalition government.
Intense horse-trading is expected in coming days, even weeks, before a government is formed and a new prime minister announced.
Voters among the 45 million eligible cast ballots for about 5,000 candidates from 39 political parties.
The contest pitted the PPP, seen as a reincarnation of Thaksin's outlawed Thai Rak Thai Party, against the Democrat Party, the country's oldest.
PPP leaders said Thaksin, who was watching the election from Hong Kong, would return to Thailand early next year, sparking fears of continued political turbulence and sharp polarization.
"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," said Pranee Teamsri, the owner of a tailor shop on Bangkok's outskirts after emerging from a polling station.
But others in Bangkok, where the Democrat Party is strong, criticized Thaksin's regime for its corruption, saying the former leader had left Thailand in "a mess."
The top rivals for next prime minister are a study in stark contrasts.
PPP's head Samak Sundaravej, 72, is an acid-tongued, ultra-rightist dubbed a political dinosaur by the local press. He has been charged with involvement in corrupt deals while serving as Bangkok's mayor. But he is seen as Thaksin's proxy and his earthy style appeals to many.
The 43-year-old Abhisit Vejjajiva, who leads the Democrats, is regarded as an intelligent, honest politician but lacking the common touch needed to connect with the mass electorate. English-born and educated at Eton and Oxford, critics say he is more comfortable in elite circles than wooing the key rural voters.
Chalerm Yoobamrung, a People's Power Party parliamentary candidate, said at a final campaign rally that Thaksin would come home from his self-imposed exile in London on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
But speaking after casting his vote, Samak said Thaksin wouldn't return until some time after the election, adding the former prime minister would have to face criminal charges and stay out of politics.
Thaksin 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 schemes.
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 allow the military to maintain a grip on power even after the election.
The election comes after almost two years of intense political instability that began with popular demonstrations demanding that Thaksin resign because of alleged corruption and abuse of power. The protest culminated in the coup.
After the coup, Thaksin, a 58-year-old billionaire, was barred from office for five years and charged with a barrage of corruption-related crimes. He lives in self-imposed exile in England, where he owns the Manchester City soccer club.