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Thaksin for national reconciliation

P. S. Suryanarayana

Thailand in a fluid political state

SINGAPORE: Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday pledged to work for national reconciliation, after claiming victory in Sunday's snap general election, which produced a wave of "no-result" outcomes in a number of constituencies.

With a "no-result" verdict or protest-vote becoming clear in nearly 40 constituencies, as counting continued, Mr. Thaksin told journalists in Bangkok that political reconciliation was the priority now. This would take precedence over the question of whether or not he should stay as Prime Minister on the basis of his party's showing in the latest poll.

In a late-night talk show over a local television network in Bangkok, Mr. Thaksin said his party had secured about 60 per cent of the total votes polled across the country for the 500-member Parliament. He offered to set up a nine-member panel, inclusive of at least three former Prime Ministers, to decide whether he should remain at the helm.

Observers, who monitored Mr. Thaksin's remarks in the Thai language, noted that he conceded that his party's margin of victory was very much below his electoral performance in 2005, when he scored a landslide, securing 377 parliamentary seats.

Reports from Bangkok also indicated that the poll authorities had decided to hold by-elections in at least 38 constituencies. The "no-result" outcome was caused by the failure of the unopposed candidates from Mr. Thaksin's party to secure the mandatory minimum percentage of votes for being declared elected.

Under Thailand's complex poll laws, even unopposed candidates should be elected, given the practice of mandatory voting. With the main Opposition parties refraining from fielding any contestants anywhere, unopposed candidates figured in 277 constituencies. In the event, the ruling party faced notional challenge from new "parties" in other places.

In response to Mr. Thaksin's comments, the Opposition leaders vowed to continue their struggle to oust him. The poll was called in the context of allegations that the Prime Minister had indulged in corrupt practices and also abused authority to enable his family to make huge tax-free gains over the sale of a mega firm which he had formed before beginning his political career.

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