Some 681,116 people cast their ballots in advance voting in
Thailand's general election over the weekend, slightly more than
the number who voted during last election in February 2005, the
Election Commission said on Tuesday.
According to the constitution, eligible voters across Thailand
who could not vote on the election day can cast ballots in their
respective constituencies in advance.
During the advance balloting in January 2005, held ahead of the
February general election, 672,469 voters cast ballots.
Some 24,832 Thais living abroad voted at Thai missions in the
foreign countries, while 103,604 are registered to vote in advance,
said Anucha Osathanond, director general of the Foreign Ministry's
Consular Affairs Department. Last year's overseas advance turnout
was 85,931.
Meanwhile, an initial report of overseas ballots received from
71 of 86 polling stations located in 63 countries revealed that
only 24,832 people came out to vote during March 17-26, although
103,604 have registered to vote in advance, Anucha Osathanond,
acting chief of the Department of the Consular Affairs, was quoted
as saying by The Nation newspaper.
The biggest turnouts of Thai voters overseas were in the United
States, China and Israel.
The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected a call by senators
to postpone Sunday's election. EC Chairman Wassana Permlarp said
the commissioners saw no other option than standing by the royal
decree calling for elections on April 2 and the agency is not
authorized to change the date.
Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called the election
three years early in a bid to defuse weeks of street protests
demanding his resignation over allegations of corruption and abuse
of power.
Thailand's top election official earlier voiced worries that
this weekend's polls probably would not fill all the seats in
parliament, casting doubt on whether a new prime minister could
take office.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2006)
