Major parties ready to contest fresh election

BANGKOK, May 8 (TNA) - Thailand's ruling Thai Rak Thai Party and the former opposition Democrat party pledged on Monday to join the new poll after the Constitutional Court ruled that the April 2 general election was unconstitutional and ordered a new election.

The Thai Rak Thai Party issued a statement after a party executive meeting announcing that TRT would abide by the court's decision unconditionally as the party always follows the rules.

However, caretaker Prime Minister and party leader Thaksin Shinawatra did not attend the executive meeting.

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, deputy party leader, said TRT had not yet mapped out a political strategy for a new run down the campaign trail as the discussion centred on the court ruling.

Mr. Thaksin's party won more than 50 per cent of the vote but the elections failed to produce all 500 MPs necessary to constitutionally form a Lower House due to the boycott by the main three opposition parties.

The former main opposition Democrat Party pledged to take part in the upcoming poll.

"The Democrat Party accepts the court ruling and will fill candidates in all constituencies in the new election to help resolve the current political crisis," party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said.

A date for new elections has yet to be set.

Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the anti-Thaksin movement, urged the four-member Election Commission to resign en masse to ackhowledge their collective responsibility following the landmark court ruling.

The election body was under heavy criticism for its failure to conduct the poll in what some critics called 'a fair manner'.

PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said the group's five key leaders would meet tomorrow to discuss a common position on the court's ruling, the Election Commission, and the possibility that the TRT will seek
their leader Mr.Thaksin's re-election, despite his earlier pledge, interpreted by some to indicate his departure from the political stage for a longer time.

The PAD vowed last month that they would stage another mass rally if Mr.Thaksin failed to honour his earlier pledge that he would not accept the premiership in the next government.

Mr. Thaksin has kept a low profile since he announced on April 4 that he would step aside from politics for the sake of national unity, after months of mass street protests in the capital demanding his resignation.

(TNA) May 08 2006