W-OLF
04-03-2006, 04:18 PM
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The prime minister said Monday his party won more than half of the popular vote in a weekend election after weeks of anti-government protests, exceeding a threshold he had set before the balloting for staying in office.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also offered to resign if asked to do so by a neutral national reconciliation committee that he would appoint.
Thaksin said he was willing to set up a committee of three former prime ministers, three former supreme court chairmen and three former heads of Parliament to represent different points of view in the political crisis, which stems from demands by his critics that he step down because of alleged corruption and abuse of power.
He said his Thai Rak Thai party received more than 50 percent of the popular vote in Sunday's election, although its vote total declined from last year's total.
Thaksin had vowed before the polls to step down if his party received less than 50 percent of the votes cast.
Speaking on a talk show on government-operated TV Channel 11, Thaksin said his party received 16 million, or 57 percent out of 28 million votes cast.
Earlier, a tally by Thai television station iTV indicated his party had received 44.4 percent of the popular vote nationwide, with 85 percent, or 28,084,686 votes counted.
The Election Commission has not yet released comprehensive official vote totals.
Thaksin said his party last year received 19 million votes - a figure he has frequently cited as legitimizing his rule.
Although the opposition boycotted the election, voters in Bangkok and southern Thailand sent a strong protest message that is likely to inflame the political crisis.
The opposition boycott left Thaksin's ruling party uncontested in 278 of 400 constituencies for the lower house of Parliament, leaving little doubt from the start that the embattled prime minister would be returned to office despite allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Thaksin called the election three years early to reassert his mandate after weeks of growing street protests demanding his resignation. His opponents accuse him of corruption, abuse of power and eviscerating the institutions of Thailand's fragile democracy.
Leaders from the opposition had urged supporters to tick the box on ballots signifying a "No Vote," or an abstention.
With more than 70 percent of the vote counted in all but two Bangkok districts, abstentions outnumbered votes for Thai Rak Thai in 27 of the capital's 36 constituencies, The Nation newspaper reported on its Web site, citing the Election Commission. In elections last year, Thaksin's party swept the capital.
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, of the election watchdog People's Network for Election, estimated that up to 40 percent of votes cast Sunday were abstentions, compared with about 1 percent in last year's election.
The "Vote for No Vote" campaign also appeared to have strong support in southern Thailand, which historically favors the main opposition Democrat Party.
Early returns showed Thaksin was clearly popular in the north - his home area - and the northeast, where Thailand's rural majority has benefited from his administration's generous social welfare and economic assistance programs.
Because of the boycott, Thai Rak Thai could be the only party to hold seats in the new legislature. Candidates from obscure parties with no lawmakers in Parliament ran in the remaining constituencies, and there was no indication that any had enough votes to claim a seat.
However, political analysts predict that some ruling party candidates, particularly in Bangkok and the south, will not be able to take office because of minimum vote requirement laws.
Election law stipulates that uncontested candidates must win the support of at least 20 percent of registered voters - highly unlikely in some districts. Any seats left unfilled could lead to several more rounds of voting in those districts before a prime minister can be chosen.
The opposition hoped the boycott would make it impossible to fill all 500 seats, which many legal experts say could lead to a failure to convene Parliament and form a new government.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, head of the Democrat Party, said the strong abstention vote showed that Thaksin does not have a true mandate.
"There are a lot of people who voted 'No Vote' this time," Abhisit said. "It shows that most people think this election is not the answer to the problem right now. And that's the reason the Democrat Party didn't join the election in the first place."
credit BellSouth
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also offered to resign if asked to do so by a neutral national reconciliation committee that he would appoint.
Thaksin said he was willing to set up a committee of three former prime ministers, three former supreme court chairmen and three former heads of Parliament to represent different points of view in the political crisis, which stems from demands by his critics that he step down because of alleged corruption and abuse of power.
He said his Thai Rak Thai party received more than 50 percent of the popular vote in Sunday's election, although its vote total declined from last year's total.
Thaksin had vowed before the polls to step down if his party received less than 50 percent of the votes cast.
Speaking on a talk show on government-operated TV Channel 11, Thaksin said his party received 16 million, or 57 percent out of 28 million votes cast.
Earlier, a tally by Thai television station iTV indicated his party had received 44.4 percent of the popular vote nationwide, with 85 percent, or 28,084,686 votes counted.
The Election Commission has not yet released comprehensive official vote totals.
Thaksin said his party last year received 19 million votes - a figure he has frequently cited as legitimizing his rule.
Although the opposition boycotted the election, voters in Bangkok and southern Thailand sent a strong protest message that is likely to inflame the political crisis.
The opposition boycott left Thaksin's ruling party uncontested in 278 of 400 constituencies for the lower house of Parliament, leaving little doubt from the start that the embattled prime minister would be returned to office despite allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Thaksin called the election three years early to reassert his mandate after weeks of growing street protests demanding his resignation. His opponents accuse him of corruption, abuse of power and eviscerating the institutions of Thailand's fragile democracy.
Leaders from the opposition had urged supporters to tick the box on ballots signifying a "No Vote," or an abstention.
With more than 70 percent of the vote counted in all but two Bangkok districts, abstentions outnumbered votes for Thai Rak Thai in 27 of the capital's 36 constituencies, The Nation newspaper reported on its Web site, citing the Election Commission. In elections last year, Thaksin's party swept the capital.
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, of the election watchdog People's Network for Election, estimated that up to 40 percent of votes cast Sunday were abstentions, compared with about 1 percent in last year's election.
The "Vote for No Vote" campaign also appeared to have strong support in southern Thailand, which historically favors the main opposition Democrat Party.
Early returns showed Thaksin was clearly popular in the north - his home area - and the northeast, where Thailand's rural majority has benefited from his administration's generous social welfare and economic assistance programs.
Because of the boycott, Thai Rak Thai could be the only party to hold seats in the new legislature. Candidates from obscure parties with no lawmakers in Parliament ran in the remaining constituencies, and there was no indication that any had enough votes to claim a seat.
However, political analysts predict that some ruling party candidates, particularly in Bangkok and the south, will not be able to take office because of minimum vote requirement laws.
Election law stipulates that uncontested candidates must win the support of at least 20 percent of registered voters - highly unlikely in some districts. Any seats left unfilled could lead to several more rounds of voting in those districts before a prime minister can be chosen.
The opposition hoped the boycott would make it impossible to fill all 500 seats, which many legal experts say could lead to a failure to convene Parliament and form a new government.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, head of the Democrat Party, said the strong abstention vote showed that Thaksin does not have a true mandate.
"There are a lot of people who voted 'No Vote' this time," Abhisit said. "It shows that most people think this election is not the answer to the problem right now. And that's the reason the Democrat Party didn't join the election in the first place."
credit BellSouth