Turnout low for vote reruns in 5 Thai provinces

[Smokemachine]

The polling took place in districts where the Democrat party is strong.

Considering the past violence associated with the election and the recent drive by shootings, many people were not willing to run the risk of being injured. Keep in mind that the same group that attempted to block the last election is still present and voters have still experienced intimidation and threats that if they went to vote, they would suffer the consequences. When local agitators are sitting outside polling places making a record of who is voting, it is to be expected that people will put their life and safety ahead of casting a ballot.

But the elections were unhindered this time around - I wonder how many 'no' votes there were, meaning that they garnered even less voters than the pathetic turnouts imply!!!

Beyond farcical!!!

I love how all the diehard Yellows scramble over to any thread they think supports their illegal and failing cause..

Low voter turnout is an obvious consequence of one side boycotting the election.

For example, If there was to be a boxing match held in Thailand between say, Rocky Balboa in the red shorts and Ivan Drago in the Yellow shorts - I'm sure it would be a sellout out.

However, should Ivan p*ss and sh*t his pants, run off crying to mummy and not show up to the fight - then I think we could all expect the attendance to drop off.

There are also red supporters boycotting the election.

Then why did they boycotted?

Oh, they have found out the Rocky Balboa in the red short is a fake imitation.

It's not Rocky Balboa!!

Is Rusty Baboo…

No doubt individual Red supporters have opted out of the election - but the party didn't and that is the significant difference between the two sides. One trusts and respects the voters to choose their government and the other continually denies the voters their rights. There will eventually be a proper election, with no cowardly boycotts and I guess we'll all see what the voters truly think, until then....

Of course the shameless party will want to proceed with the election.

And if you want to see what the voters truly think, the latest result should bring you some light.

Without DM participating, the shameless party should win easily.

Did they? Where have all the red voters gone to?

It's Rusty Baboo.

Not a ROcky.

I don't think a real Rocky will want to fight with dishonor , indignity or unethical opponent in the match.

[ManofReason]

No doubt individual Red supporters have opted out of the election - but the party didn't and that is the significant difference between the two sides. One trusts and respects the voters to choose their government and the other continually denies the voters their rights. There will eventually be a proper election, with no cowardly boycotts and I guess we'll all see what the voters truly think, until then....

Of course the shameless party will want to proceed with the election.

And if you want to see what the voters truly think, the latest result should bring you some light.

Without DM participating, the shameless party should win easily.

Did they? Where have all the red voters gone to?

It's Rusty Baboo.

Not a ROcky.

I don't think a real Rocky will want to fight with dishonor , indignity or unethical opponent in the match.

The results haven't been announced yet - but it's a given PTP have won.

And when there's another election,with the Dems, PTP will win again.

If the Dems had any hope they wouldn't continually lead their mob into the street.

[Mosha]

No doubt individual Red supporters have opted out of the election - but the party didn't and that is the significant difference between the two sides. One trusts and respects the voters to choose their government and the other continually denies the voters their rights. There will eventually be a proper election, with no cowardly boycotts and I guess we'll all see what the voters truly think, until then....

Of course the shameless party will want to proceed with the election.

And if you want to see what the voters truly think, the latest result should bring you some light.

Without DM participating, the shameless party should win easily.

Did they? Where have all the red voters gone to?

It's Rusty Baboo.

Not a ROcky.

I don't think a real Rocky will want to fight with dishonor , indignity or unethical opponent in the match.

The results haven't been announced yet - but it's a given PTP have won.

And when there's another election,with the Dems, PTP will win again.

If the Dems had any hope they wouldn't continually lead their mob into the street.

Were not some results due last week?

[Robby nz]

I wonder how many of the 10.2% average over the 5 provinces voted "None of the above" ?

I suspect there would be a reasonable number which would drop the number of votes for any one candidate even farther.

In spite of all the red spin the almost 90% who did not vote did so because there was no candidate that they wanted to vote for including PT.

So it would be fair to say that regardless of any other parties taking part 89.8% of the registered voters did not want to vote for the PT candidate, if they had they would have gone to vote for that candidate.

[Mackie]

What a waste of time, tax payer money, human lives...etc...No matter what it is clear that the election abysmally failed and that Thais will have to organize another one some time in the future. The only thing Thai people learned from this farce is that the current care taker government doesn't have the popular support.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Mackie

[kimamey]

It seems pretty clear that voters weren't rushing to support the government like in 2011. Will this be a wake-up call to the party in power or will they spin it. I can can hardly wait for Thaksin's supporters on this forum to explain how this is actually a vote of support for Ms. Yingluck, etc..

They will. They will compare it to England voter turn out or bring up something that happened in history dating back 1000's of years and use that as an argument for this 10%. Or they will simple ignore the facts as they normally do and say 10% is a huge majority considering the ballot was held in DEM strongholds.

If you listen carefully you could probably hear the clicking of about 12 key boards around the country of 12 western UDD supporters googling "10% voter turn out election win" to further their argument.

Prepare to be bedazzled with "facts" from pockets of history throughout time, amazing slight of hand and bewildered by stories that belong in children's fantasy books. The only difference is the UDD supporters are deadly serious when they write what they do.

I am warming the popcorn. Bring it on guys.

It's particularly low considering voting is compulsory in Thailand I believe. The fact the turn out is so low gives an indication how much Thais respect the law.

[kimamey]

No doubt individual Red supporters have opted out of the election - but the party didn't and that is the significant difference between the two sides. One trusts and respects the voters to choose their government and the other continually denies the voters their rights. There will eventually be a proper election, with no cowardly boycotts and I guess we'll all see what the voters truly think, until then....

Of course the shameless party will want to proceed with the election.

And if you want to see what the voters truly think, the latest result should bring you some light.

Without DM participating, the shameless party should win easily.

Did they? Where have all the red voters gone to?

It's Rusty Baboo.

Not a ROcky.

I don't think a real Rocky will want to fight with dishonor , indignity or unethical opponent in the match.

The results haven't been announced yet - but it's a given PTP have won.

And when there's another election,with the Dems, PTP will win again.

If the Dems had any hope they wouldn't continually lead their mob into the street.

Since they were the only major party you're probably right but here's what I don't understand.

If the Democrats are so unelectable why didn't the PTP have a rice scheme that paid maybe 5 or 10 percent over market prices and increase the minimum wage by for instance 5% over average wage rises every year? They could have increased farmers income in the long term without destroying the rice trade and without upsetting businesses who were supposed to pay the hugely increased minimum wage. Although I suspect many haven't done so and the government is unlikely to care as they got the votes and can say they increased the minimum wage.

[marcusd]

It seems pretty clear that voters weren't rushing to support the government like in 2011. Will this be a wake-up call to the party in power or will they spin it. I can can hardly wait for Thaksin's supporters on this forum to explain how this is actually a vote of support for Ms. Yingluck, etc..

They will. They will compare it to England voter turn out or bring up something that happened in history dating back 1000's of years and use that as an argument for this 10%. Or they will simple ignore the facts as they normally do and say 10% is a huge majority considering the ballot was held in DEM strongholds.

If you listen carefully you could probably hear the clicking of about 12 key boards around the country of 12 western UDD supporters googling "10% voter turn out election win" to further their argument.

Prepare to be bedazzled with "facts" from pockets of history throughout time, amazing slight of hand and bewildered by stories that belong in children's fantasy books. The only difference is the UDD supporters are deadly serious when they write what they do.

I am warming the popcorn. Bring it on guys.

luckily their keyboard vanquishes mean nothing here

Marcusd. Via tapatalk

[winstonc]

The no party have better policies than PTP who in turn have better policies than the Dems.

Sad state of affairs.

Manofreason

Is indeed a reasonable man member for 4 days and 88 posts. Maybe with luck and I doubt it one was reasonable.

Has to drag the Democrats into every shameful act or showing the PTP continues to crank out. You have to give the he/she credit. He/she has a great imagination. They should write books for children.

Got the week off work - knee surgery. Thought I'd spend some time here to help the Yellows through this difficult period of the last, dying days of their insurrection with a bit of knowledge, logic and yes.....reason.

a week off work first lesson no yellows here ..but you got a week to try and learn..lucky theirs no joined up writing or youl be in a right mess..

[Bluespunk]

Yeh, it's obvious what they were up to.

I pointed out already they chose the districtis with the lowest turnouts to vote, then didn't advertise the new vote.

Endless games from the EC. Sad. I think they're trying to get enough seats below the 95% mark to block a government taking power.

Not the fault of the EC if people don't want to vote. No one was blocking the voting process this time. Their non participation was a personal choice. Not a good situation but hardly the EC's fault.

[Mosha]

Yeh, it's obvious what they were up to.

I pointed out already they chose the districtis with the lowest turnouts to vote, then didn't advertise the new vote.

Endless games from the EC. Sad. I think they're trying to get enough seats below the 95% mark to block a government taking power.

Could it be, that those provinces were the only ones to have registered candidates?

[Robby nz]

If the Democrats are so unelectable why didn't the PTP have a rice scheme that paid maybe 5 or 10 percent over market prices and increase the minimum wage by for instance 5% over average wage rises every year? They could have increased farmers income in the long term without destroying the rice trade and without upsetting businesses who were supposed to pay the hugely increased minimum wage. Although I suspect many haven't done so and the government is unlikely to care as they got the votes and can say they increased the minimum wage.

PT didn't do these things because they were basically the Dems policies.

Carry on with the farm price guarantee scheme, raise the minimum wage incrementally, continue with the education reform they started when they raised the minimum age of free education from 12 to 15 years, continue with the free hospital care rather than charging 30 B. There are more and if anyone really wanted to know I am sure they could go back and look.

However their policies were all trumped by PT and along with the great lie of murder which tainted them, and still does, PT managed to coerce the people of the north and northeast to vote them in.

And look where that has now led.

[geriatrickid]

The polling took place in districts where the Democrat party is strong.

Considering the past violence associated with the election and the recent drive by shootings, many people were not willing to run the risk of being injured. Keep in mind that the same group that attempted to block the last election is still present and voters have still experienced intimidation and threats that if they went to vote, they would suffer the consequences. When local agitators are sitting outside polling places making a record of who is voting, it is to be expected that people will put their life and safety ahead of casting a ballot.

First it is: People wanted to vote but were not allowed. Now it is: People are allowed to vote but didn't dare to show up.

..yeah whatever GK.

Are you denying that people were blocked from voting in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand?

Are you denying that the PDRC attacked people during the candidate registration?

You should read the past threads on the days those criminal events occurred. There are multiple accounts and images of the events to prove that your position is erroneous.

The fact is that the polls were blocked in Suthep strongholds. What part of the reality that Suthep was the power broker in those regions? He was the Democrat party and his supporters and allies still make the decisions in those regions. If they don't want people to vote, they have the power to do it. There is no denying that many people will not vote unless there is a Democrat candidate running. Unfortunately for all these people who willingly chose not to vote, there are ramifications. The PTP will win its seats and will have a legal mandate to remain in office. Sadly, the opposition will be gutted. There will be fewer people in the House who will be able to hold the government accountable. The Democrats may have just handed the PTP more power. It is an outcome that will not do Thailand any good. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[ManofReason]

What a waste of time, tax payer money, human lives...etc...No matter what it is clear that the election abysmally failed and that Thais will have to organize another one some time in the future. The only thing Thai people learned from this farce is that the current care taker government doesn't have the popular support.

If that were true the Democrats should have contested the election, they would have won and been able to implement any reforms that they felt were necessary to fix the country. In fact had they had the fortitude to front up and won they could have done every single thing that the PDRC wanted. No need to destroy the economy or create a situation that lead to children being killed. They could have had every single thing they wanted at no cost - all they had to do was trust the very people they claim to represent to vote in an election. Yet they didn't. I wonder why? Could it be that they knew they would lose? I think so. Only the truly deluded could think that the level of Red support has sunk to anywhere near low enough for the Yellows to come anywhere near winning an election.

Keep dreaming buddy, that's all you can do until reality comes along and bites you in the ass (that will be mid March)

[whybother]

Are you denying that people were blocked from voting in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand?

Are you denying that the PDRC attacked people during the candidate registration?

You should read the past threads on the days those criminal events occurred. There are multiple accounts and images of the events to prove that your position is erroneous.

The fact is that the polls were blocked in Suthep strongholds. What part of the reality that Suthep was the power broker in those regions? He was the Democrat party and his supporters and allies still make the decisions in those regions. If they don't want people to vote, they have the power to do it. There is no denying that many people will not vote unless there is a Democrat candidate running. Unfortunately for all these people who willingly chose not to vote, there are ramifications. The PTP will win its seats and will have a legal mandate to remain in office. Sadly, the opposition will be gutted. There will be fewer people in the House who will be able to hold the government accountable. The Democrats may have just handed the PTP more power. It is an outcome that will not do Thailand any good. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Who was blocked from voting last weekend?

[SICHONSTEVE]

No doubt individual Red supporters have opted out of the election - but the party didn't and that is the significant difference between the two sides. One trusts and respects the voters to choose their government and the other continually denies the voters their rights. There will eventually be a proper election, with no cowardly boycotts and I guess we'll all see what the voters truly think, until then....

Of course the shameless party will want to proceed with the election.

And if you want to see what the voters truly think, the latest result should bring you some light.

Without DM participating, the shameless party should win easily.

Did they? Where have all the red voters gone to?

It's Rusty Baboo.

Not a ROcky.

I don't think a real Rocky will want to fight with dishonor , indignity or unethical opponent in the match.

The results haven't been announced yet - but it's a given PTP have won.

And when there's another election,with the Dems, PTP will win again.

If the Dems had any hope they wouldn't continually lead their mob into the street.

Since they were the only major party you're probably right but here's what I don't understand.

If the Democrats are so unelectable why didn't the PTP have a rice scheme that paid maybe 5 or 10 percent over market prices and increase the minimum wage by for instance 5% over average wage rises every year? They could have increased farmers income in the long term without destroying the rice trade and without upsetting businesses who were supposed to pay the hugely increased minimum wage. Although I suspect many haven't done so and the government is unlikely to care as they got the votes and can say they increased the minimum wage.

....because Thaksin chose his way and as per usual his scams fail spectacularly - he doesn't know what he is doing unless it is made easy for him to cheat, commit corruption or fraud!!!! Having a doctorate in criminology has enabled him to find ways of putting this into action, much to the detriment of the Thai people who he has robbed left right and centre in enriching himself!!!

[SICHONSTEVE]

If the Democrats are so unelectable why didn't the PTP have a rice scheme that paid maybe 5 or 10 percent over market prices and increase the minimum wage by for instance 5% over average wage rises every year? They could have increased farmers income in the long term without destroying the rice trade and without upsetting businesses who were supposed to pay the hugely increased minimum wage. Although I suspect many haven't done so and the government is unlikely to care as they got the votes and can say they increased the minimum wage.

PT didn't do these things because they were basically the Dems policies.

Carry on with the farm price guarantee scheme, raise the minimum wage incrementally, continue with the education reform they started when they raised the minimum age of free education from 12 to 15 years, continue with the free hospital care rather than charging 30 B. There are more and if anyone really wanted to know I am sure they could go back and look.

However their policies were all trumped by PT and along with the great lie of murder which tainted them, and still does, PT managed to coerce the people of the north and northeast to vote them in.

And look where that has now led.

Not a very accurate appraisal I'm afraid.

They should have carried on with Abhisit's rice mortgage scheme as that was affordable and actually benefitted those farmers who it was meant to (the poor farmers) - Thaksin's scam doesn't benefit the poor farmers AT ALL!!!

They didn't raise the minimum age from 12 to 15 years for free education (I should know) - they raised the number of years of receiving free education from 12 years to 15 years.

The 30 baht health policy was Thaksin's idea, Abhisit made it FREE because it wasn't cost effective to collect the charges. When Yingluck was chosen (not elected) to be prime minister she changed it back to 30 baht again (taxed them in effect) because she didn't want it to be Abhisit's policy but that of her brothers.

The Dem's policies weren't trumped at all, they made them all worse (apart from the education policies, thank god) and having fooled them once, they will find it a little bit more difficult to hoodwink them again with their flawed populist policies.

Other failed populist policies include the free tablets scheme, the first time car and house purchase giveaways and the 300 baht minimum wage scheme (that was set too high too quickly) and caused unemployment and a lack of competitiveness in the region!!!!

Other than that - his crooked colleagues did very nicely out of it, thank you!!!

[JamesDean3]

Low voter turnout = Apathy or Common Sense on the part of the Thai voter.

[siampolee]

As an aside.

Has there to date actually been an official vote count report as to those who were elected and where and I suppose when too ?

Might it not be a truthful response to actually let the electorate see just what the true picture may be rather than leaving a blank sheet that could have a political landscape painted upon it which may well be far from a truthful interpretation of the political landscape panorama?

Edited March 5, 2014 by siampolee

[Dogmatix]

If you don't Vote....you have no Voice.

They will have their political rights restored after voting in the Senate elections on 30 March. So this was one to pass on.