Thailand voting process will take several weeks: Officials
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 3, 2014 1:44PM GMT
Thai election officials say it could take several weeks to re-stage voting in some regions where Feb.2 election was disrupted by demonstrators.
This comes after the opposition supporters tried to disrupt the vote by blocking the delivery of ballots to many polling stations and forcing authorities to cancel voting in parts of Bangkok and several southern provinces.
Thailand's Election Commission said at least six million voters were affected by disruption on Sunday. However, government sources say 89% of the polling stations operated normally across the Southeast Asian country.
Meanwhile, fresh anti-government rallies has already started in Thailand's capital a day after protesters partially disrupted general elections
Demonstrators say they will press ahead with efforts to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The prime minister called the vote to put a halt to weeks of countrywide unrest aimed at ousting her.
But despite the government's efforts, protesters remain adamant, demanding Yingluck's resignation and the appointment of a people's council.
Now with the failure of the government to pull off a successful vote, it is expected that Yingluck's administration will further plunge into instability.
Protesters say the political system need to be totally reformed, stressing that the government has to be ousted and replaced by a people's council.
At least ten people have died and dozens more have been injured since the fresh wave of unrest broke out in last November after Bangkok proposed an amnesty bill that could have pardoned ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, setting the scene for his return to the country.
The ex-premier, ousted in 2006, has been in self-exile since 2008 to avoid a two-year prison sentence.
JR/AB
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