By Jaime Ortega.
Fear of violence, led Bangkok residents to empty the shelves of supermarkets and burn temporary electoral houses. Through the whole city only an attack with four deaths in the south was reported. The opposition managed to paralyze the vote of hundreds of polling stations in Bangkok and the southern provinces , but failed in their attempt to prevent millions of Thais to exercise their right to cast a ballot in the rest of the country. The Electoral Commission says the vote was partially or completely blocked in 127 of the 375 constituencies. Without a lack of official results , the forecast is a landslide victory of the ruling party Yingluck Shinawatra .
The sister of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, remains in exile since she was ousted in a coup in 2006 , after the Democratic Party decided to boycott the process. Shinawatra clan formations have won all votes taken in the country for more than a decade with the support they receive from the rural villages of the north and the working classes in the cities.
Demonstrations against the Government
The elections hardly draw Thailand out of the paralysis lived since the demonstrations began against the government three months ago. The leader of the revolt , former Senator Thaugsuban Suthep said he will seek the nullity of the whole process in courts and submit a claim against the prime minister for spending public funds on an election that he considers illegitimate. Everything indicates that the new offense will feature judges .
The objective is to suspend the Suthep universal suffrage in Thailand, putting the country under the command of a people’s council and reform before they celebrate other ” corruption-free ” elections in two years. We support the monarchists sectors , the state bureaucracy, the urban middle classes and the Democratic Party , which has not won since 1992. For the prime minister , the elections were an attempt to organize a plebiscite showing that he still has the majority of support of Thai people.
The results cannot be found in many districts where opposition has blocked the vote , preventing the registration of candidates and distribution of ballots. The formation of a new government will take months , if that is achieved, it will achieve a sufficient number of MPs to compose the House.
Moments of tension
The greatest moments of tension at the polling lived where demonstrators blocking the passage of people who wanted to exercise their right . “We want to vote !Want to vote ! ” Chanted dozens of citizens in Din Daeng district , showing their identity cards . About 10,000 of the 94,000 polling stations were unable to open their doors, showing a partial victory for the opposition . “Winners do not represent the Thai people,” Suthep , whose demonstrations have so far only had impact in the capital said. “The winners are slaves to Thaksin .”
Among those who were able to exercise their vote were Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the chief of the armed forces Prayuth Chan- ocha . General Public participation is especially significant after weeks of rumors about a possible coup as a solution to the conflict as the country remains in limbo. The Government believes that one of the objectives of the opposition has been to create a chaotic situation that forces military intervention. A fear that has led him to restrain his followers north to avoid incidents.
Divided army
With the military divided on whether to force a solution , and the influential King Bhumibol weakened at 86 years, Thailand is facing the possibility of months of uncertainty that threatens to derail the economy. Tourism has plummeted in recent weeks although the demonstrations have been largely peaceful -14 people were killed and dozens injured since the protests began in late October , and companies like Toyota have announced that instability makes them rethink future investments.
Thailand was for decades the safe destination for foreign investors that wanted to expand their business in Southeast Asia . The war in neighboring Vietnam, the dictatorship in Burma and Cambodia’s genocide made Thailand a safe haven in the middle of a turbulent area.
In recent years , however, as the political situation improved around, the Thai saw themselves engaged in political crises that continue since this day . Old resentments and social divisions resurfaced strongly following the overthrow of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. The Thai tycoon became a threat to the traditional powers of the country, with the monarchy at the head , raising the political activism of rural populations that had previously accepted that their fate is decided by the elites of Bangkok. Thaksin still controls the power from exile with his sister, the opposition sees a puppet in the hands of the former prime minister who has pending to meet two years in prison for corruption.
The conflict between traditional elites and populist in Thailand seems to have led to a dead end. Most analysts expect the government to fall, probably harassed by a favorable judicial position to the opposition. This would be the beginning of a new struggle , in this case by red shirt supporters of the Shinawatra clan . The battle for power has only just begun. It appears to be long.
