Thai protesters cause poll chaos
OPPOSITION protesters blocked voting at thousands of polling stations in Thailand yesterday, triggering angry scenes in the capital, Bangkok, over an election that has plunged the strife-racked kingdom into political limbo.
Despite weeks of mass street demonstrations aimed at forcing her from office, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was widely expected to extend her billionaire family’s decade-long winning streak at the ballot box.
But widespread disruption to voting means results are not expected for weeks. And few believe the polls will end the political turmoil that has plagued the kingdom since Yingluck’s older brother Thaksin was ousted as premier in a military coup in 2006. Yingluck’s opponents say she is a mere puppet for the ousted leader, who lives in Dubai to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.
The main opposition Democrat Party, which boycotted the vote, said it was gathering legal evidence to seek an annulment of the election.
About 10 000 out of nearly 94 000 polling stations were unable to open, according to the Election Commission, affecting millions of people.
The disruption means that even if Yingluck wins she will remain in a caretaker role with limited power over government policy until elections are held in the troubled areas, because there will not be enough MPs to convene parliament.
At least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured since the opposition rallies began. –