Thailand's election race heats up

The vote, set for July 3, is shaping up to be a close fight pitting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's establishment-backed Democrats against allies of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. -- PHOTO: AP

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S election battle got into full swing on Thursday as a planned opposition rally to mourn protesters killed in a military crackdown a year ago underscored simmering political tensions.

The vote, set for July 3, is shaping up to be a close fight pitting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's establishment-backed Democrats against allies of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

Registrations for candidates under the proportional representation system began on Thursday and Mr Abhisit took two days' leave from his official duties to throw his hat in the ring to win a second term, and hit the campaign trail.

The British-born, Oxford-educated premier's party, Thailand's oldest, draws most of its support from Bangkok and the south but it has not won a general election in nearly two decades. Mr Abhisit took over as the head of a coalition government in a 2008 parliamentary vote after a judicial ruling threw out the previous administration, and he is accused by his political foes of being an unelected puppet of the military and the establishment.

His main rival in the lower house election race is Mr Thaksin's youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is the main opposition Puea Thai party's candidate for premier.

Parties affiliated to Mr Thaksin have won the most seats in the past four elections, but courts reversed the results of the last two polls. Puea Thai won a psychological victory on Thursday when it was allocated the top spot on the ballot paper, selecting number one in a lottery to decide how 26 parties contesting the vote would be ranked. Democrats selected number 10. -- AFP