Thailand: Voting ends in crucial general election

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva says the vote is a chance to rid the country of the "poison" of Thaksin Shinawatra

             Voting has now ended in Thailand in a general election that follows five years of political unrest and which has been dominated by ousted and exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrats have been battling the Pheu Thai party, which is allied to Mr Thaksin and is led by his sister, Yingluck.
There has been tight security for the vote nationwide.
About 170,000 police officers have been deployed outside polling stations.
Last year, protesters shut down parts of Bangkok for two months in a bid to force the government to resign. When the army stepped in to clear the capital's streets it degenerated into violence, leaving 91 people dead.

Analysis

Rachel Harvey BBC South East Asia Correspondent

Bangkok came to a respectful halt just as polls opened. The national anthem is played every morning at 0800, and people tend to stop in their tracks and listen.
Today it felt like a musical pause for reflection ahead of what is undoubtedly a crucial poll. Voting is in theory mandatory, though no-one is fined or imprisoned for failing to cast their ballot.
But people I've spoken to really do see this election as a crucial test of Thailand's fragile democracy, so there's expected to be a high turnout.
One 89-year-old lady in a wheelchair told me she had never in her life missed a chance to vote, though she had lost count of precisely how many times she had exercised her democratic right.
Heavy rain was forecast later in the day, which might present logistical challenges, especially in rural areas. So voters were being urged to cast their ballots early if possible.

Many of the red-shirt demonstrators were supporters of Mr Thaksin, whose government was toppled in a military coup in 2006.

Polls closed at 1500 local time (0800GMT), with the official result expected in the late evening.
Wounded democracy The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Bangkok says Sunday's election has been a chance for Thais to end years of political uncertainty.
The past few years have seen street protests, airport closures, and violent clashes between the supporters of the two main factions of Thai politics, our correspondent says.
The country's image and economy have both suffered, its reputation for being a bastion of democracy in south-east Asia has been severely tarnished, she adds.
More than 40 parties fielded 3,832 candidates for the 500-seat lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives.
In a two-tier system of voting, 375 legislators will be elected by constituency, while 125 candidates will be chosen from lists according to the proportion of votes each party receives nationwide on a separate ballot. There are some 47 million eligible voters.
Despite the wide variety of parties, only the Democrats and Pheu Thai are believed to have a realistic chance of capturing an outright majority. Pre-election opinion polls pointed to a win by Pheu Thai.
Yingluck Shinawatra was one of the first to vote at a school in Bangkok. She smiled and showed her ID card to television cameras before casting her ballot.

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How the voting system works in Thailand, and why this election is so important

She said: "Thank you, supporters, who have been so kind to me."
Our correspondent says Ms Yingluck is a political novice, and her popularity seems to rest on the fact she is campaigning on the policies of her brother, who many believe is Pheu Thai's real leader.
He is living in self-imposed exile in Dubai to avoid corruption conviction, and has made it clear that he is keen to return to his homeland.
At a rally in Bangkok late on Friday Ms Yingluck said: "Please give a chance to this woman to serve the country. Please give a chance to this woman to bring reconciliation back to this country."

Mr Abhisit also voted in Bangkok. He said: "I urge all eligible voters to come out and cast votes quickly because this election is very crucial for our country."

Mr Abhisit has said a vote for Pheu Thai is a vote for Mr Thaksin, and pointed out the party's own slogan was "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai does".
At his final campaign rally, he said the country must "get rid of the poison of Thaksin".
"As long as Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai has to do it - to find ways to give Thaksin back his seized 46bn baht ($1.5bn)," he added.
If Pheu Thai wins, analysts say all eyes will once again be on the military, which has regularly intervened in the political process. Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday stressed that he would stay neutral.
Thailand has had 18 attempted or successful military coups since democracy was established in 1932.
Our correspondent says there is a lot at stake.
Whoever wins will have to bring a divided nation back together again, and try to heal Thailand's wounded democracy, she adds.

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