Results leave Thailand in political limbo

THAI Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday said he had received more than half the votes cast in an election which followed weeks of anti-government protests.

However, he offered to set up an independent committee to resolve the country's political impasse and vowed to accept any decision it might render including a demand for his resignation.

Mr Thaksin said he was willing to set up a neutral committee which would be representative of the different points of view in the crisis, which revolves around demands by his critics that he step down because of alleged corruption and abuse of power.

On Sunday voters in Bangkok and southern Thailand cast a strong protest vote likely to inflame the country's political crisis.

An opposition boycott of the poll left Mr Thaksin's ruling party uncontested in 278 of 400 constituencies for the lower house of Parliament, leaving little doubt from the start that the embattled prime minister would be returned to office.

But the outcome was expected to leave Thailand's fragile democracy in political limbo, with both sides taking heart from the results.

Mr Thaksin called the election three years early to reassert his mandate after weeks of growing street protests demanding his resignation. His opponents accuse him of corruption, abuse of power and eviscerating the institutions of Thailand's democracy.

Leaders from the opposition had urged supporters to tick the box on ballots signifying a "No Vote," or an abstention.

Mr Thaksin had vowed before the polls to step down if his party received less than 50% of the votes cast.

Mr Thaksin said his party received 16 million, or 57% out of 28 million votes cast.

A Thai television station's own tally of the vote earlier had indicated that his Thai Rak Thai party had received 44.4% of the popular vote nationwide, with 85%, or 28,084,686 votes counted.