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Vote-buying claims mar Thai poll |
Almost one-fifth of the seats contested in Thailand's general
election are being investigated over alleged voting irregularities,
officials say.
Provisional results had given victory to the People Power Party
(PPP), with 233 of the 480 available seats. But 65 of those seats
are among the 83 being investigated, mostly amid accusations of
vote-buying. The PPP did not gain an overall majority, but claims
to have struck a deal to form a coalition government. The party,
which supports ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,
announced on Monday that three smaller parties would join its
administration. But the Electoral Commission's investigation has
cast doubt over the PPP's coalition plans. Three PPP politicians
were disqualified last week on charges of vote-buying, and the
party could yet have more seats taken from it. Six of the 165 seats
won by the second-place Democrat Party are also under
investigation. Awaiting results The official results of the
poll were expected on Thursday but were delayed by the
investigation into irregularities. At a news conference, the
commission's chairman Apichart Sukhakkanon said 397 seats had been
confirmed and the MPs endorsed without protest. Kudeb Saikrajang, a
spokesman for the PPP, said the party was confident that the
commission was investigating fairly. "We are waiting for its
results. We believe we can go ahead with launching our coalition
government," he said. The apparent PPP victory was a major blow for
the generals who ousted Mr Thaksin in a coup in September 2006. The
PPP has openly said it will seek to be advised by Mr Thaksin and
will let him return from self-imposed exile in the UK.
Source: BBC
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