Thai polls: Pro-Thaksin People’s Power Party emerges winner

The pro-Thaksin People’s Power Party has emerged as winner in Thailand’s general elections on Sunday...

The pro-Thaksin People’s Power Party has emerged as winner in Thailand’s general elections on Sunday, though it failed to get an absolute majority in the 480 seat lower house of parliament, unofficial results from the Election Commission said.

With 80 per cent of the vote counted, the People’s Power Party won 230 seats. Rival Democrat Party won 161 seats.

PPP’s head Samak Sundaravej said deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was observing the polls from HongKong, had congratulated him after getting news of the party’s showing at the polls.

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The billionaire premier was ousted in a bloodless coup last year in September and he has been in England in self-imposed exile. Thaksin owns the Manchester City football club. He is still widely popular with the masses in Thailand.

PPP campaigned on a platform of bringing Thaksin back from exile in London and continuing his populist policies.

His Thai Rak Thai (Thais love Thai) party was outlawed after the September coup and Thaksin was himself debarred from holding office for five years, but the PPP formed by his loyalists.

There are 45 million eligible voters who had to choose from 5,000 candidates from 39 political parties.

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Thais across the country went to vote with thousands of troops and policemen spread out, especially in southern Thailand where a Muslim insurgency has killed more than 2000 people.

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