Probe delays announcement of Thai election results

Probe delays announcement of Thai election results

BANGKOK (AFP): Thai election authorities grilled on Sunday
dozens more candidates suspected of cheating in the Jan. 6
national polls, forcing the release of official results to be
postponed yet again.

Unofficial tallies indicate the Thai Rak Thai party led by
Thaksin Shinawatra scored a runaway victory in the national
elections, capturing an unprecedented simple majority in the 500-
seat House of Representatives.

But widespread allegations of vote-buying and ballot box
tampering have caused extensive delays in the ballot-counting
process as officials labor to investigate the charges.

About 90 candidates have now been summoned for questioning by
the EC, and more than a dozen reportedly face disqualification
after being found guilty of cheating.

The rest may be given a "yellow card" warning that will
entitle them to run in re-elections scheduled to be held in
affected constituencies on Jan. 29.

EC commissioner Yuwarut Gamolvej told reporters on Sunday
after a day spent questioning the latest crop of suspect poll
winners that all the "red card" disqualifications would be handed
out on Monday, and the warnings on Tuesday.

Official results would be released all together on Wednesday,
instead of being unveiled progressively from Sunday as had been
planned earlier, he said.

Heartened by Interior Ministry figures that indicate Thai Rak
Thai has won 258 seats in the lower house, Thaksin has gone about
the business of forming a coalition and releasing policies.

But The Bangkok Post said on Sunday that the fledgling party's
majority could be whittled away by the disqualifications, forcing
it to take on an extra coalition partner to ensure stability in
parliament.

Thaksin is aiming for a 320-seat coalition, with the New
Aspiration Party considered a likely first choice as its partner
in government.

However, both parties have been badly hit by the EC's
investigations and another smaller party may be brought into the
ruling alliance as a result, the daily said.

Thak Rak Thai executive Chamlong Krudkhunthod reportedly
conceded that the party's plans might be upset if too many of its
winning candidates were disqualified.

"If we can't win the majority, we will lose some negotiating
power. The party might lose to its coalition partners some key
ministries its wants to keep," he told the Post.

Thak Rai Thai is keen to retain the Finance, Industry,
Commerce, Agriculture, Public Health and Interior ministries, he
said.

However, he said he was confident the fledgling party would
win back the seats "taken away" by the EC when the re-votes are
held.