Thai officials fail to resolve election chaos
[BANGKOK] Thai election officials yesterday failed to resolve a chaotic weekend ballot disrupted by anti-government protesters who blocked polling stations and stopped people voting in nearly a quarter of the country.
They met for two hours but adjourned without making progress, saying "legal issues" had to be clarified and they would meet again today.
"Our meeting yielded only one conclusion today: That those who were not able to vote on Jan 26 and Feb 2 in constituencies where there were problems have not lost their right to vote," commission official Somchai Srisutthiyakorn told reporters. "Other issues were raised in today's meeting but we have not yet reached a conclusion due to legal issues that need to be clarified."
Sunday's poll has been challenged by the main opposition Democrat Party, which refused to take part, and the Election Commission is already investigating possible campaigning irregularities in a long-running political conflict that shows no sign of ending.
The election would likely return caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to power if it is not annulled but, whatever the result, it will not change the dysfunctional status quo after eight years of polarisation and turmoil.
Voter turnout on Sunday was 47.7 per cent, the commission said, with 20.5 million people turning up to vote out of a total of 43 million eligible voters. The data excludes voters in nine provinces where voting could not take place.
Polls were disrupted in 18 per cent of constituencies, 69 out of 375, nationwide, affecting 18 out of 77 provinces.
Anti-government protests are still blocking parts of Bangkok in the latest round of an eight-year dispute that broadly pits Bangkok's middle class, southern Thais and the royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of Ms Yingluck and her brother, ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Ten people have been killed in sporadic bursts of violence, although Bangkok has been calm since the vote. The number of protesters on the streets has dwindled, for now, but their three-month campaign has drawn as many as 200,000 on big marches and rallies, more of which are expected. The protests are having an impact on the economy, the tourism sector in particular with arrivals in Bangkok sharply down.
"People are very concerned about their future," Thanavath Phonvichai, an economics professor at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), told a news conference for the release of the university's latest confidence survey which showed that the country's consumer confidence dropped for a 10th straight month in January.
The prolonged political crisis is making Thais reluctant to spend, adding to the country's economic problems. The consumer confidence index calculated by the UTCC slid to 71.5 in January, the lowest level since November 2011, from 73.4 in December. A UTCC statement said consumption "is likely to fall further at least until late in the second quarter because the economy is slowing and there is no sign of recovery yet. . . Confidence should pick up once the political situation eases but it's not clear when that will happen".
Meanwhile, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban faces charges of murder related to violence in 2010 when, as deputy prime minister, he sent in troops to crush protests by "red shirt" supporters of Thaksin. More than 90 people were killed.
Suthep was to appear in court yesterday in that case, but he failed to turn up for a second time. He was given another seven days to appear.
The court initially requested Suthep to appear on Dec 12 last year but rescheduled the hearing for six weeks later, citing his lack of availability due to his anti-government campaign. - Reuters
