BANGKOK, Dec 21 (TNA) - More than 40 million eligible voters will cast their ballots nationwide this Sunday as ongoing canvassing intensifies and political parties go all out in their last-ditch attempts to win as many seats as possible in the House of Representatives.

The election is seen as an internationally-recognised platform to usher the kingdom that has seen 18 coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 into full democracy despite skepticism on post-election political stability.

Many optimists are hopeful that the election will at least return the country to democratic rule after a September 2006 military coup. Some pessimists on the other hand are less convinced the general election will reflect the people's voice.

"We will see some instability but at least the election will get rid of the coup period. We had the coup in September 2006. It's been almost 15 months now—the post-coup period. This coup period will be put behind. It's a good sign," said Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political scientist from Chulalongkorn University.

Good as it is but Dr Thitinan is on the bandwagon of skeptics who do not believe the election will either solve Thailand's ongoing political crisis or provide political stability.

Populism, the key campaign policy of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, had been heavily condemned and then TRT leader Thaksin Shinawatra was criticised for spending the national budget at the grassroots level for his own and his party's popularities.

"Thaksin combined the national policies with the lives of people. He connected voting with policies that we could say 'edible policies,' the policies that you can eat. Policies that help people, giving loans to people. Policies which support products from villages and find markets for them," says Viengrat Nethipo, political lecturer at Chulalongkorn University.

Ironically enough, not a single political party has failed to include populism in its policy. What most parties offer are almost the same. Free elementary schooling and generous healthcare schemes are just a few examples.

"Whether populist policies will help the grassroots in the long run, no one knows. This populist policy may end up breaking the budget," warned Dr Thitinan.

Various opinion polls have put the pro-Thaksin People Power Party or PPP ahead of the Democrat Party, the main Thaksin opponent. They predicted the PPP to win over 200 seats in the 480-seat Lower House, mainly from its strongholds in the North and Northeast.

Despite the forecast, many political observers believe the Democrats will be the driving force in setting up a coalition government.

Whoever leads the coalition, analysts predict the new government will be short-lived.

TNA

Thais vote Sunday in first post-coup election

BANGKOK, Dec 22 (TNA) - More than 40 million eligible Thai voters will cast their ballots tomorrow in the country's first general election since the military carried out a bloodless coup and toppled the elected government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Sept 19, 2006, to select the kingdom's 25th prime minister since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

Thirty-nine political parties are fielding more than 5,000 candidates.

Under the dual voting system, voters will directly elect 400 members of the House of Representatives (Lower House) while 80 party-list candidates selected by political parties are chosen according to the proportion of votes each party receives on a separate ballot.

Several polls show that the People Power Party (PPP), formed by a group of former members of the now dissolved-by-court order Thai Rak Thai Party founded by Mr. Thaksin, is leading the fiercely contested election, with Thailand's oldest political party, the Democrat Party close behind.

The two leading parties -- along with most of the others -- have offered attractive incentives to voters in their campaign in a bid to become the new government, but observers said the next government would certainly be a coalition because none would be assured of an absolute majority vote of more than 240 seats.

Besides offering populist policies like the Thai Rak Thai, the PPP also told the public while campaigning that it would bring back Mr. Thaksin from exile in London if the party wins a majority of seats election and was able to form the government.

Oxford-educated Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party, had also promised free education, improving the national economy and resolving the almost four-years of bloody violence in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, an insrgency in which over 2,500 victims have died.

The interim government has set a target of at least 70 per cent of total eligible voters must cast their ballots. Thirapat Serirangsan, minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, said Saturday he was confident that the target could be achieved.

When asked whether there would be a problem if the PPP wins and is able to form a government, Mr. Thirapat said if the Thaksin-aligned party does things correctly there should not be a problem. Any government that can create benefits to the country could continue without a problem but it would be opposed if it corrupts.

Everybody has to prevent corruption and exercise their electoral rights, Mr. Thirapat added.

Pongsak Semsan, permanent secretary for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said Saturday while inspecting final preparations at polling booths on the that preliminary results in Bangkok are expected to be available by 8pm Bangkok time (1300 GMT), or five hours after the booths are closed, while unofficial results for all over the country to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) are expected before midnight.

With advance voting held last weekend and election campaigns coming to a halt Saturday evening, Election Commissioner Prapan Naikowit said his agency had already received over 20 complaints of election fraud and that officials were investigating them.

Elected candidates will be stripped of their victories if they are found and proven to have cheated in the election.

The EC has announced that most funds which would be used in vote-buying would appear Saturday or early Sunday at latest. It urged election authorities to monitor the fraud closely.

Viroon Thongjaron, rector of Srinakharinwirot University, showed concern about the cost of political promises made by all partied, noting that whether large and established or small, all were focusing heavily on populist programs promising free prizes or other incentives if they become the government after the election.

Such policies could be considered as insulting the people and their election campaigns are another form of vote-buying by giving away too much, Dr. Viroon said. Some parties demonstrated they did not understand the country's educational system.

"If (our) politicians aren't smart enough to improve our education system, then I think the new government won't last more than a year," Dr. Viroon said.

"Younger candidates contesting the election are campaigning like comedians and don't show any capability (to do the job)," he added.

TNA

Quote:Thirty-nine political parties are fielding more than 5,000 candidates.

That must be a record for a Thai election