PPP party (Taksin) may have overall majority

Exit polls show comprehensive win for PPP

(BangkokPost.com) тАУ Ballot boxes were closed at 3pm and kept under close watch by election authorities as exit polls are out.

According to the Suan Dusit poll, out since last night, the People Power party (PPP) could win as many as 256 seats in the house, enough to form a single majority government while the Democrat party is expected to win 162 seats. Chart Thai party trails in third with 29 seats.

Meanwhile, an ABAC poll had different results but also showed PPP coming out on top with 202 seats. The Democrat was expected to win 146 seats.

Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva refused to comment on the results of the exit polls, choosing instead, to thank those who supported the Democrat party.

тАЬI choose not to comment on the exit poll results until the official results are out,тАЭ he said. тАЬI would like to thank everyone who voted for the Democrats.тАЭ

He added: тАЬThe Democrat party will support the result of the election no matter what the outcome. If the exit poll results turn out to be true, then thereтАЩs not much I can say. For the time being, the poll results have no affect on me. Let us base everything on the official results.тАЭ

Bangkok Post

http://203.150.244.10/reports/eng/

frequently updated

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_new ... ?id=124650 (http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=124650)

Unofficial results of the constituency candidacy (total 400 seats) throughout Thailand as of 6.30pm.

People Power party -- 220 seats
Democrat -- 162 seats
Chart Thai -- 40 seats
Puea Pandin -- 30 seats
Ruamjaithai Chartpattana -- 13 seats
Matchimathipataya -- 10 seats
Pracharaj -- 5 seats

Unofficial results of the party-list candidacy (total 80 seats)

People Power party -- 34 seats
Democrat -- 33 seats
Chart Thai -- 4 seats
Puea Pandin -- 7 seats
Ruamjaithai Chartpattana -- 1 seats
Matchimathipataya -- 0 seats
Pracharaj -- 1 seats

PPP therefore have more than the 241 seats required for an overall majority

Thaksin allies 'lead Thai vote'
Exit polls suggest that the party allied to Thailand's ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra has taken a strong lead in general elections. But emerging partial results suggest the People Power Party (PPP) will fall short of an outright majority, and a coalition government is likely.

The pattern may change again, given that early results tend to come in from urban areas where the PPP is weaker.

It is the first election since the 2006 coup that overthrew Mr Thaksin.

Instability fears

With 45% of ballots counted nationwide, the PPP was expected to win 230 of the 480 seats in parliament, Thai local TV was quoted as saying by AFP.

According to an Election Commission official speaking off the record to The Associated Press, 40% had been counted and the PPP was set to net 229 seats.

Full unofficial results are expected to be announced at about midnight (1700 GMT).

Election monitors say that voting has mostly proceeded smoothly and been well-organised, despite complaints of vote-buying and other irregularities.

The exit polls are divided on whether the PPP has won an outright majority.

The BBC's Jonathan Head says that if it has not, there will be considerable pressure on middle-ranking parties to form a coalition with the PPP's main rival, the Democrats.

But, he says, this could lead to further instability as a multi-party government could well prove weak and short-lived.

Coalition building

Mr Thaksin himself has been in exile since the coup, and he and his Thai Rak Thai party were banned from politics by the military government.

But his allies have resurfaced under the PPP banner, and analysts say they have benefited from Mr Thaksin's populist appeal, especially in the countryside. One voter, Roongchai, told the BBC that he liked Thaksin because he was "brave enough to change things". "He might have made mistakes, but overall he brought positive change."

Return from exile?

Surapong Suebwonglee, secretary general of PPP, said the poll was "a victory for people and democracy". "It shows that the coup one-and-a-half years ago has not benefited the country or anyone," he told the AFP news agency.

The PPP's right-wing leader Samak Sundaravej, 72, says he expects Mr Thaksin to return to Thailand from self-imposed exile in the UK if PPP wins an outright majority.

If he does return to the Thailand, Mr Thaksin will have to answer a number of corruption charges levelled against him in the courts.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/a ... 157829.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7157829.stm)

Published: 2007/12/23 13:00:42 GMT

┬й BBC MMVII

Seems too close to call for an absolute majority.

People Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej declared victor and announced that he would contest to form a coalition.

He said the People Power has only some seats short of simple majority so it would like to invite other parties to join its coalition.

The Nation

The PPP's right-wing leader Samak Sundaravej, 72, says he expects Mr Thaksin to return to Thailand from self-imposed exile in the UK if PPP wins an outright majority.


Thaksin has just been shown on British TV saying that if all goes according to plan he intends to return to Thailand in mid-February

Good. If Thaksin does get back lets hope he makes a new constitution, banning military/police from politics forever and creates an independant judiciary.








Oh btw - im dreaming of a white christmas - in Pattaya!

Good. If Thaksin does get back lets hope he makes a new constitution, banning military/police from politics forever and creates an independant judiciary.....

Great, just what Thailand needs right now - another Constitution.

They must never run out of toilet paper.

And now after a year of drama they're right back where they started from. That had to have been the most pointless coup d'etat in history.

Good. If Thaksin does get back lets hope he makes a new constitution, banning military/police from politics forever and creates an independant judiciary. Oh btw - im dreaming of a white christmas - in Pattaya!No mate, you're just dreaming

[dave_tf-old]

"Election monitors say that voting has mostly proceeded smoothly and been well-organised, despite complaints of vote-buying and other irregularities."

They classify 'vote buying' as an irregularity?

[Bob]

They classify 'vote buying' as an irregularity?

Presuming fair consideration (enough money) was paid, it's an irregularity; otherwise, it'd be a friggin' crime!

Like I told my boyfriend - take money from every candidate, then vote your conscience. :cheers:

Like I told my boyfriend - take money from every candidate, then vote your conscience.

I remember my (now long dead) grandmother telling stories of just that in the UK. The various parties would offer to send a car to the house to pick her up and take her to the polling station - if interest was shown the phrase "I'm sure we can count on your support" was always in the conversation. She would round-robin the parties at subsequent elections, but always voted as she wanted.

If he returns he needs to be tried and jailed for life for the killing of 1500 people during his drug war. It amazes me that he is getting away with this. Anyway I doubt the generals will let him live long should he return.

[Bob]

If he returns he needs to be tried and jailed for life for the killing of 1500 people during his drug war. It amazes me that he is getting away with this. Anyway I doubt the generals will let him live long should he return.

Presuming these were simple murders by the police and military, why isn't it that you don't suggest putting them on trial.
I recognize Shinawatra may have some responsibility as he, at the top of the government, authorized the pursuit of the drug dealers; however, before you hang Shinawatra for that, are you aware of any evidence that indicates he knew that
"extra-judicial" killings would take place?

[Hmmm]

If he returns he needs to be tried and jailed for life for the killing of 1500 people during his drug war. It amazes me that he is getting away with this. Anyway I doubt the generals will let him live long should he return.

Presuming these were simple murders by the police and military, why isn't it that you don't suggest putting them on trial.
I recognize Shinawatra may have some responsibility as he, at the top of the government, authorized the pursuit of the drug dealers; however, before you hang Shinawatra for that, are you aware of any evidence that indicates he knew that
"extra-judicial" killings would take place?

This 4 page piece is the most detailed expose of the extrajudicial killings I have seen, especially government complicity:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... l&offset=0 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article3004757.ece?token=null&offset=0)

Excerpt from page 4:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... &offset=36 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article3004757.ece?token=null&offset=36)

"Thaksin is a small and quietly spoken man. Being notoriously thin-skinned, he doesnтАЩt stay quietly spoken for long. While a charismatic orator in Thai, he speaks English confidently but badly. Our meeting was set up by the London public-relations firm Bell Pottinger. Its corporate motto is тАЬBetter reputationsтАЭ, although Thaksin is happy enough with his. He boasts about being тАЬvery aggressiveтАЭ in business and politics. тАЬWhen you attack me, I attack back,тАЭ he warns me.

He has no regrets about the drug war. Like many countries, Thailand had (and still has) a serious drug problem. But does this justify killing 2,656 men, women and children? Thaksin now disputes this death toll, even though it was provided by his own loyal officials. тАЬThat is part of the smear campaign against me,тАЭ he says.

I show Thaksin the Interior Ministry document that the NHRC believes indicates an official shoot-to-kill policy. Immediately he distances himself from a policy for which he had once claimed to take тАЬfull responsibilityтАЭ.

тАЬIf it were to be an order from someone, they have to be responsible,тАЭ he says. But couldnтАЩt he have at least suspended the campaign, particularly when it became clear that the blacklists were faulty? тАЬI, as a prime minister, I have so many things to doтАж I just give the policiesтАж How can you [be] responsible for everything in the country?тАЭ ItтАЩs a bizarre and cowardly defence: I was too busy to stop the slaughter.

What about the dead children? The topic flusters Thaksin. He says that тАЬjust the oneтАЭ child was shot dead by police during the drug war, but тАЬcanтАЩt remember exactly how that happenedтАЭ. To jog his memory: in the first month of the campaign alone, four children aged nine or below were killed, along with 13 teenagers, according to a list compiled from press reports by Thai human- rights workers. But Thaksin prefers to focus on the тАЬmillions of addictsтАЭ he claims he has saved.

Thaksin also now denies ever urging the Thai police to тАЬact decisively and without mercyтАЭ against drug suspects. тАЬI never said that,тАЭ he says, adding: тАЬItтАЩs not because I ordered them to kill. What I said was, тАШWe have to get tough.тАЩ тАЭ Thaksin is proud of his close relations with the police, but says he was never a beat cop who (the description is telling) тАЬdo a lot of patrol, a lot of killingsтАЭ. He also admits that some police deal drugs, while others тАЬmay be doingтАЭ drug-war executions. тАЬYou think all of them are good persons?тАЭ he says. тАЬNo way.тАЭ But allegations of police brutality at the time were none of his business. тАЬThe police chief has to handle this, not the prime minister.тАЭ

A new investigation into the drug war is also under way in Thailand. The Independent Committee on the Casualties of the 2003 War on Drugs aims to confirm the death toll, compensate bereaved families and name the killers. Predictably, ThaksinтАЩs legal team has challenged its impartiality. His chief lawyer has urged British people to тАЬsuspend their judgmentтАЭ and presume his client innocent until proven guilty тАУ a right withheld from those gunned down in ThaksinтАЩs drug war.

Lawyers have suggested that ThaksinтАЩs drug war might amount to a crime against humanity under article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), set up in 1992. Thaksin finds this funny. тАЬIтАЩve done nothing wrong!тАЭ he laughs. тАЬI just give the policy. The practitioners have to be responsible.тАЭ The human-rights commissioner Vasant thinks otherwise. тАЬThose who devised the policy are primarily responsible for the deaths,тАЭ he says. Vasant believes that only the threat of an ICC trial тАЬwill ensure this kind of incident never happens againтАЭ. Thailand signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but, under Thaksin, didnтАЩt ratify it. "

Some more gruesome detail:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/ ... 61035.html (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/24/1046063961035.html)