THAILAND:Allies of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared victory in Thailand's first post-coup election yesterday, but failed to secure an absolute majority in the parliament according to unofficial results from the Election Commission.
A win by the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party would likely deepen the country's two-year-old political crisis.
With 95 per cent of the vote counted, the PPP had won 228 seats in the parliament's 480-seat lower house, the Election Commission said. The rival Democrat Party won 166 seats. A complete tally was not expected until today.
"It is clear that compared to other political parties, the PPP has won the highest number of votes," PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said at a news conference. He said Mr Thaksin, who was in Hong Kong, had telephoned after hearing the results.
"Thaksin said congratulations," Mr Samak said, inviting "any political parties" to join the PPP to form a coalition government.
Mr Thaksin, who owns Manchester city football club in England, was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006, but retains widespread popularity among Thailand's rural majority.
The PPP campaigned on a platform of bringing Mr Thaksin back from exile in London and continuing his populist policies.
Mr Samak said he expected Mr Thaksin to return to Thailand after a government is formed, which he said might take about a month. That prospect has sparked fears of intensified conflict on the already-tense political scene.
Mr Samak said that if possible, the PPP would grant amnesty to Mr Thaksin and 110 other executives of his now-disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, who were barred from office for five years.
"They didn't do anything wrong," Mr Samak said.
The election had been billed as a return to democracy after 15 months of military-backed government.
Mr Thaksin's opponents, however, had sought to eradicate his political influence by measures such as changing the constitution to limit big political parties' power, and prosecuting the former prime minister on corruption-related charges.
The failure of Mr Thaksin's loyalists to capture an absolute majority might allow the Democrat Party to bring in partners to form a coalition government.
"If the PPP succeeds in forming the government, the Democrat Party is ready to be in the opposition to protect the people's interest. However, if the PPP fails to form a government, the Democrat Party is also ready to form a government," said Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejajjiva.
Intense negotiating is expected in the coming days, even weeks, before a government is formed.
Some victors may also lose their seats if found guilty of electoral violations.
An Election Commission spokesman, Ruangroj Jomsueb, said the commission was investigating more than 100 cases of alleged irregularities, mostly related to vote-buying, which was reportedly rampant in rural areas.
Voters among the 45 million eligible cast ballots for about 5,000 candidates from 39 parties.
The contest pitted the PPP - widely seen as a reincarnation of Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party - against the Democrat Party, the country's oldest.
"The economy was prosperous when Thaksin was prime minister and I voted for the People's Power Party because the party leader promised to bring Thaksin back to the country," Pranee Teamsri, who owns a tailor shop on Bangkok's outskirts, said after emerging from a polling station.
But others in Bangkok, where the Democrat Party is strong, criticised Mr Thaksin's regime for its corruption.
The top rivals for next prime minister are a study in stark contrasts. Mr Samak (72) is a veteran, sharp-tongued conservative who has been dubbed a political dinosaur by many Thai media. He has been charged with involvement in corrupt deals while serving as Bangkok's mayor. His earthy style appeals to many, however, and he is seen as Mr Thaksin's proxy.
Democrat Party leader Mr Abhisit (43) is regarded as an intelligent, honest politician - but one who lacks the common touch needed to connect with Thailand's mass electorate.
Critics say Mr Abhisit, British-born and educated at Eton and Oxford, is more comfortable in elite circles than wooing crucial rural voters. Mr Thaksin, a 58-year-old billionaire, faces a slew of corruption charges but remains popular among the rural masses and lower income urban residents.
The prospect of Mr Thaksin's return has raised fears of another coup by the powerful military.