示威者稱將驅逐泰國總理
Thai anti-government protesters planned to forge ahead on Monday with efforts to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a day after a disrupted election that is unlikely to settle the country's long-running political conflict.
The demonstrators blocked balloting in a fifth of the country's constituencies and say Yingluck must resign and make way for an appointed "people's council" to overhaul a political system they say has been taken hostage by her billionaire brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Sunday's election, which the main opposition party boycotted, is almost certain to return Yingluck to power and with voting passing off peacefully across the north and northeast, Yingluck's supporters will no doubt claim a legitimate mandate.
But the vote is unlikely to change the dysfunctional status quo in a country popular among tourists and investors yet blighted by eight years of polarization and turmoil, pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poor, rural supporters of the Shinawatras.
Apart from a few scuffles, the election was peaceful, with no repeat of the chaos seen the previous day, when supporters and opponents of Yingluck clashed in north Bangkok, with seven wounded by gunshots or explosions.
Voting was disrupted in 18 percent of constituencies, 69 out of 375, nationwide, the Election Commission said, affecting 18 of 77 provinces. Neither the result nor the turnout were announced.
The disruptions mean it could be weeks before parliamentary seats are filled, so Yingluck will remain a caretaker with no policy authority.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban told a crowd of supporters he would lead a rally to a central Bangkok park on Monday. He vowed to press on with his bid, launched in November, to rid politics of the influence of the Shinawatra family.
But the vote should offer Yingluck some cheer.
"Having gone through more than two months of protests, the election will strengthen Yingluck's position, but her troubles are not over yet," said Kan Yuanyong, director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.
"We'll see a continuation of the conflict, the standoff remains and the likelihood of more violence could increase."
The Election Commission said it expected legal challenges to be lodged as early as Monday to try to invalidate the poll and attack the legitimacy of the government
POPULIST MACHINE
Yingluck said the election was a "positive signal", but a lasting solution was needed.
"This election is part of the democratic process," she told reporters. "I hope all sides can help solve each of the country's problems."
The protesters say former telecoms tycoon Thaksin has subverted a fragile democracy with money politics and populism, doling out subsidies, cheap loans and healthcare to woo the poor and guarantee victory for his parties in every election since 2001.
Thaksin's critics also accuse him of disrespecting the monarchy, which he denies.
The anti-Shinawatra demonstrators enjoy broad support from southerners and Bangkok's middle class and are tacitly backed by a royalist oligarchy that sees Thaksin as a corrupt crony capitalist and resents the rapid rise of his political order.
Thaksin has lived abroad since 2008 to avoid a jail term for a graft conviction he says was politically motivated. Critics say Yingluck is merely a stand-in for him.
Thaksin's supporters accuse the military and the establishment, including the judiciary, of colluding over the years to oust his governments. The military, which has staged numerous coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, overthrew Thaksin in 2006 but has stayed aloof this time.
With several cases against Yingluck and her party taken up by the courts, Thaksin's supporters fear judges might intervene again and they have threatened to stage their own protests if the government is ousted, by the courts or the military.
Sunday's election was in stark contrast to three years ago, when Yingluck quit her job as a company executive and helped her Puea Thai Party win an election in a landslide, running on the campaign slogan "Thaksin thinks, Puea Thai acts".據路透社2月3日報道，泰國反政府抗議者計劃繼續努力推翻總理英拉。這是在選舉被破壞的一天後，這樣的選舉是不可能解決泰國長期的政治衝突的。
示威者在全國五分之一的選區阻止了投票，並提出英拉必須辭職，爲指定的“人民委員會”讓位，以改革政治制度。他們認爲，現在的政治制度已被英拉的哥哥他信劫持。他信是泰國前總理，並且是一位億萬富翁。
主要反對黨拒絕參加選舉。這場選舉基本可以確定使英拉重新得回權力，並通過投票，向北部和東北部虛報和平的消息。英拉的支持者無疑將要求合法授權。
但是，在這樣的國家，投票是不可能改變這種不正常現狀的維持的。泰國在旅遊者和投資者之間都很流行，然而八年的極化和動盪使它衰敗，曼谷中產階級塌陷，保皇黨與大多數貧困並位於農村的西納瓦的支持者對立。
除去少數的混戰，選舉還算和平，沒有重複前一天混亂的場景。前一天，英拉的支持者和反對者在曼谷北部發生了衝突，七人傷於槍擊或爆炸。
投票在百分之十八的選區被打斷，也就是全國375個選區中的69個，選舉委員會說，影響到77個省中的18個。投票結果和出席者都沒有公佈。
中斷意味着還需要幾個星期才能將議會席位填滿，所以英拉仍是沒有政策權威的臨時代理。
反對者首領素貼·特素班告訴一羣支持者，他將會在週一領導一次位於曼谷中心公園的集會。他發誓繼續爭取，於十一月行動，使政治擺脫西納瓦家族的影響。
但投票應該使英拉樂觀了一些。
“經過兩個多月的示威後，選舉鞏固了英拉的地位，但她的麻煩還沒有結束，”泰國智庫暹羅資訊社主管康元勇說。
“我們將會看見衝突持續，僵局沒有變化，暴力增加的可能性上升。”
選舉委員會說，希望能在週一前面臨法律挑戰，判定投票無效，並攻擊政府的合法性。
平民主義機器
英拉說，這次選舉是一個“積極信號”，但仍需要一個持久的解決辦法。
“這次選舉是民主進程的一部分，”她告訴記者，“我希望各方能幫助解決這個國家的每一個問題。”
抗議者說，自2001年以來的每次選舉，前電信大亨他信都會用金錢政治和平民主義破壞脆弱的民主。他施捨補貼，提供低息貸款和衛生保健，以吸引窮人，確保他的黨派的勝利。
他信的批評者還指責他不尊重君主，但他否認了。
西納瓦的反對者享受到了南方人和曼谷中產階級的廣泛支持，同時還被保皇黨的寡頭政治默默支持着。保皇黨的寡頭執政集團認爲他信是腐敗的裙帶資本主義，並憎恨他的政治秩序迅速崛起。
他信爲了避免因貪污罪入獄，自2008年起就住在國外。但他認爲所謂“貪污罪”是政治動機。批評者稱，英拉只是他的替身而已。
他信的支持者指責軍方和當權派（包括司法部）多年來密謀推翻他的政府。軍方在泰國1932年成爲君主立憲制以來，上演了多場政變，並在2006年推翻了他信，但這一次，軍方選擇了旁觀。
幾起反對英拉及其黨派的案件將被法庭審理，他信的支持者擔心法官再次干預。他們威脅稱，如果政府被驅逐，他們將提出自己的抗議，運用法院或者軍隊。
週日的選舉與三年前的場景形成了鮮明的對比。那時，英拉辭去了她公司高管的職務，幫助她的爲泰黨在選舉中取得了壓倒性勝利，提出了運動口號“他信思想，爲泰行動”。
