EC confident by-elections, Bangkok governor election will run smoothly

BANGKOK, Jan 10 (TNA) -- Thailand's by-elections in 22 provinces nationwide and a Bangkok's governorship election to be held Sunday are expected to be conducted smoothly without hindrance by anti-government protesters loyal to the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), Election Commissioner Prapan Naikowit said Saturday.

Security has been tightened with two police officers manning each polling booth. Sales of alcohol are banned from Saturday evening until midnight Sunday in accordance with the election law.

District officials have been instructed to obey election rules strictly and to remain neutral, Mr. Prapan said, as he inspected a polling booth for a by-election for a lawmaker in the outskirts of Bangkok.

He said the Election Commission (EC) has projected that 60 per cent of the country's eligible voters will exercise their electoral rights for the by-elections in 22 provinces throughout the country and 54 per cent in the Bangkok gubernatorial election.

Only Bangkok's Constituency 10 will see eligible voters to cast votes on both the by-election and the Bangkok governorship.

Mr. Prapan said protesters in an election will face criminal law charges and if convicted will not be able to participate in any form of political activity for 10 years.

A total of 29 lawmakers will be elected Sunday following the December court ruling that dissolved two political parties including the then ruling People Power Party (PPP) on charges of electoral fraud in the general election held in December 2007. Of the 29 seats, 13 earlier belonged to the PPP earlier and the remaining 16 seats were held by its allies in the Chart Thai Party.

The Bangkok gubernatorial election is being held after then governor Apirak Kosayodhin, re-elected for a second term in October, resigned from his post one month later after being ruled guilty in relation to alleged irregularities involving the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's procurement of fire trucks and boats worth more than Bt6.8 billion in 2003. (TNA)