THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra opens snap poll campaign in populist mood

Record ID: 676040

  • Title: THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra opens snap poll campaign in populist mood
  • Date: 25th February 2006
  • Summary: (ASIA) BANGKOK, THAILAND (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERING FOR ANTI-THAKSIN CAMPAIGN/VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SHOWING ANTI-THAKSIN BANNERS (4 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 12th March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7OPMCWY2445C2M4SNAES0H51L
  • Story Text: Embattled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra strode confidently into his re-election bid on Saturday (February 25), promising a raft of populist measures as opponents pressed on with their campaign to oust him from politics. On Friday (February 24), he called an early election for April 2, just a year after a second landslide victory had made him appear impregnable. "I think my decision to dissolve parliament and call for snap elections will create a cloud over a short period. This is better than allowing the situation to lead to violence. Especially now that we have received intelligence reports showing that certain groups of people are planning to create violence. I do not want any violence to occur because our scars from the 1992 bloodshed still have not healed," he said in a television address. On Saturday, in his first public appearance since calling the election, Thaksin targeted the student vote, promising to upgrade an education decree in favour of vocational study if he wins in the polls. "As soon as the new parliament opens, the decree to extend it will be considered, "Thaksin told hundreds of vocational students. However, polls show Thaksin's popularity is at a record low following his relatives' $1.9 billion sale of their controlling stake in the business empire he founded. Thaksin's popularity has fallen to 34.5 percent this month, according to a nationwide poll by Bangkok's Assumption University, compared with 77.5 percent right after his party won 377 of the 500 lower house seats a year ago. Thais at a newspaper stand were pleased an early election had been called. "The dissolution of the House of Representatives is a way to solve the problem, now it is up to the people to decide what kind of members they want in the house. At the moment, the people are well aware of what kind of characters we have in the house," said Anuporn Aroonrut (pronounced : A-nu-porn A-roon-rut). "I think this is a good chance for Thai people to vote more opposition parties into the House of Representatives, the opposition might not get as much as 200 seats but at least I think they will get more than 125 seats needed to censor the prime minister and to stop his absolute power," shop owner Pollawat Chanvanichsakul (pronounced : Pol-la-wat Chan-va-nid-sa-kul) said. Although the campaign to oust Thaksin began in September, based on charges of conflict of interest, undermining the checks and balances of the constitution and corruption, only with the sale of Shin Corp last month did it catch fire. The tax-free sale to a Singapore state investment firm outraged middle-class tax payers in Bangkok, despite regulators clearing Thaksin of any wrongdoing in the sale of shares he handed over to relatives before entering politics. However, it unleashed an anger opposition parties, which accuse Thaksin of tailoring policy to suit Shin Corp, hope to cash in on by accusing him of a lack of morality and ethics. He denies all the charges and says one of the reasons for the sale was to remove any hint of conflict of interest and analysts say the opposition parties are unlikely to be able to win enough seats to unseat his Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party. The anti-Thaksin camp told a news conference on Saturday the prime minister should have resigned rather than call an election. "We reinstate that Prime Minister Thaksin should resign without any conditions and ultimatums," said Suriyasai Katasila (pronounced : Su-ri-ya-sai Ka-ta-si-la), a spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy which is running the campaign against Thaksin. Thaksin has also focused his early campaign on the bid to oust him through mass rallies which carry the possibility of violence as unconstitutional politics. But the People Alliance for Democracy (PAB), a coalition of groups outside parliament running the campaign to oust Thaksin, said it would not rest until he quit politics. It aims for a "persistent rally" starting on Sunday and continuing until Thaksin resigns although some analysts say the snap election call could well undermine the demonstration.
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