THAILAND: The Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was fighting for his political survival last night after the protest vote against him in a snap general election proved greater than expected.
With the three main opposition parties boycotting Sunday's poll, Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (Thai Love Thai) party swept to an anticipated landslide. But it was looking pyrrhic after at least 40 per cent of voters chose "no vote" on the ballot paper to register disapproval of the police colonel-turned-telecom tycoon's decision to call the election, rather than answer claims of corruption and abuse of power.
Mr Thaksin, whose spokesman admitted surprise at the extent of the protest, said last night on a special television talk show called Thaksin's Heart Revealed that he would like to set up a neutral reconciliation committee and would resign if the nine members advised he should.
"I want reconciliation for the country. I will do anything. I have retreated so many steps that my back is against the wall."
It was unclear last night whether the opposition and the People's Alliance for Democracy, a popular movement numbering tens of thousands who have been demonstrating almost daily for two months demanding that Mr Thaksin resign, would accept the proposal.
Earlier in the day they insisted their campaign would continue until Mr Thaksin had quit and the constitution was reformed to prevent further executive abuse of power.
Mr Thaksin challenged his critics to say why he should quit: "They should give me good reasons so that I could explain to the 16 million people who voted for me."
The election commission had yet to announce results last night, but Mr Thaksin said that Thai Rak Thai had won 16 million votes, with some 10 million people registering a "no vote".
The commission did announce that byelections would have to be held in 38 seats after the only candidate, from Thai Rak Thai, failed to get 20 per cent of the vote, a legal minimum for a single candidate to be elected.
In the capital, Bangkok, where Thai Rak Thai won more than 30 of the 36 seats last year, the ruling party received fewer votes than the "no vote" in all but eight seats.
Mr Thaksin's speech contrasted with TV station iTV, owned by Mr Thaksin's family until January, which said Thai Rak Thai won only 44 per cent of the vote. - (Guardian service)