Thailand's opposition warned yesterday that a third round of parliamentary elections called for this weekend to avert a constitutional breakdown would only intensify the country's political crisis.
"The people will never accept the results of this election," said Somsak Prisana-Anantakul, deputy leader of the Chart Thai party, one of three opposition parties that boycotted elections in protest of outgoing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Because of the boycott and deep dissatisfaction toward Thaksin in the country's insurgency-wracked south, 13 districts remain vacant after two rounds of voting. The constitution requires unopposed candidates to get at least 20 percent of the votes.
The law stipulates that parliament should convene within 30 days of an election to form a new government -- a deadline that falls next Tuesday -- but also that it cannot do so unless all 500 seats of the lower house are filled.
Somsak said that the third round of voting was pointless and would do little to resolve the crisis of confidence in parliament, with Thai Rak Thai controlling almost every seat in Parliament.
"This is a bad thing for democracy," he said. "The government and the Election Commission have shown they do not respect the will of the people."
The comments were echoed by Ong-art Klampaiboon, spokesman of the main opposition Democrat Party.
"The Election Commission is trying all means to fill out all the constituencies," said Ong-art. "But there is no use in having another election."
The Election Commission said yesterday that the third round of voting will be the last.
If seats remain empty, the commission will turn the matter over to another agency, said Ekachai Warrunprapa, the Commission's secretary-general.
Experts say a Constitutional Court ruling would be needed on whether the lower house can convene if all 500 seats are not filled.
Another possibility is for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the constitutional monarch, to appoint an interim government pending fresh elections.
Thailand has never faced the need to hold a third round of parliamentary elections, and electoral officials were scrambling to avoid leaving the country in a position where it has no clear leadership for an extended period.
Boycotts, ballot destruction and some violence have plagued Thai elections that started on April 2 -- a poll called by Thaksin to defuse anti-government street protests demanding he step down over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
His opponents called on voters to choose the abstention option on ballots or to destroy voting cards in the April 2 polling, and then again during a follow-up round this past Sunday.
The opposition boycott handed a near sweep of parliamentary seats to the ruling party.
Despite the victory, Thaksin handed over power to a caretaker leader from his own party on April 4 after the first round left 40 seats in parliament vacant. He said he was taking a "break" from politics to help restore national unity. But critics say Thaksin is plotting his return from behind the scenes and is still controlling the ruling party.
Southern Thailand is a center of opposition to Thaksin and the scene of a bloody Muslim insurgency that residents say the current administration has mishandled.
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