Thailand’s government rejected a call from the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday to postpone a February vote after clashes between police and anti-government protesters in which a policeman was killed and nearly 100 people were hurt. The EC urged the government to delay the February 2 election until there was “mutual consent” from all sides. But such consent looks highly unlikely given the polarization of Thailand’s politics and the intensifying conflict. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling Puea Thai party would likely win an election. The protesters are demanding that Yingluck steps down and political reforms be introduced before any vote, to try to neutralize the power of the billionaire Shinawatra family. The violence erupted on Thursday when protesters tried to storm a venue where a draw for election ballot numbers was being held and police fired teargas and rubber bullets to keep the rock-throwing crowd back. The policeman was killed and three were wounded by gunshots from an unknown attacker who was believed to have been overlooking the clashes from a building.
Anti-government protesters gather outside the house of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during a r …
The protesters want the suspension of what they say is a fragile democracy subverted by Yingluck’s influential self-exiled brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
The protesters draw strength from the south, Bangkok’s middle class and the establishment, who call Yingluck a puppet of Thaksin. The former telecoms tycoon is a populist hero among millions of poor in the north and northeast whose votes have won his parties every election since 2001.
The violence and the EC’s call for a postponement spell bad news for a government trying to ride out the storm. Yingluck called the election this month in the hope of defusing the crisis. The government said a delay would be unconstitutional.
Full Article: Thai government rejects call to delay election after clashes erupt – Yahoo News.