Thailand elections peaceful; parties divided

BANGKOK (AP) — Fractious Thailand held pivotal elections Sunday that will determine whether this Southeast Asian kingdom can find a way out of the political crisis that has plagued it since a military coup five years ago.

While the vote itself is expected to be peaceful, many fear violence could erupt if the results are not accepted by party rivals or the coup-prone military. Holding the ballot was a key demand of anti-government protesters who flooded the streets of Bangkok for two months last year and brought the glittering city to its knees.

The race for 500 parliament seats pits army-backed underdog Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's party against opposition front-runner Yingluck Shinawatra, a political neophyte widely seen as a proxy of her brother — an exiled billionaire former premier who was overthrown in 2006 and is legally barred from politics.

Now living in exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year jail sentence for graft, Thaksin Shinawatra's ascent to power in 2001 changed Thailand forever, touching off a societal schism between the country's haves and long-silent have-nots. The marginalized rural poor hail his populism, while the elite establishment sees him as a corrupt, autocratic threat to the monarchy and the status quo.

That schism has played out through pro- and anti-Thaksin street protests since the 2006 coup, and on Sunday it hit the ballot box. The vote, many believe, is largely about the divisive legacy he left behind.

For a nation of 66 million people known to tourists as "the Land of Smiles," much is at stake.

Demonstrations last year by Thaksin's supporters left Thailand's reputation for stability in tatters and ended with 90 dead, 1,800 wounded and Bangkok's towering skyline engulfed in flames.

On Sunday, television stations reported long lines at polling stations nationwide. Security was tight, with more than 170,000 police deployed to protect booths. There were no immediate reports of violence.

Yingluck and Abhisit both voted in Bangkok, dropping ballots into sealed green metal containers. Both returned to their respective party headquarters to await preliminary results, which the Election Commission is expected to announce Sunday night.

Though Yingluck's opposition Pheu Thai party is expected to win the most votes, poll predictions have given neither side the 250-seat majority needed to form a government, meaning there could be fierce jockeying to win over smaller parties to build a governing coalition.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the most important challenge facing the incoming government will be resolving the nation's divide.

"Everyone is talking about political deals, but no one is talking about how to end impunity, restore freedom of expression and hold perpetrators accountable no matter how high up they are," Sunai said. "Without that, Thailand will never able to get out of this cycle of violence and turn itself around."

Since last year's protests, Abhisit's government has exclusively prosecuted its opponents, leaving many to see the justice being meted out as one-sided.

Oxford-educated Abhisit has used his campaign to blame the opposition and its supporters for burning Bangkok last year, saying a vote for Yingluck would be a vote for chaos. He has also declared the poll "the best opportunity to remove the poison of Thaksin from Thailand."

The ruling elite believes Yingluck is plotting Thaksin's return through a proposed amnesty that would apply for political crimes committed since the coup. Yingluck says it is aimed at reconciling all Thais — not just her brother.

Thaksin has vowed to return by year's end — an event likely to spur street protests from his opponents and anger the army that forced him from office.

On Thursday, army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha reiterated his vow to stay neutral in Sunday's vote, dismissing rumors the military would intervene.

Thaksin and his proxies have won the country's last four elections. Abhisit's Democrat party, by contrast, has not won a popular vote since 1992.

Although Thaksin is credited for awakening what has become a democratic movement, he exhibited a sharp authoritarian streak in office and was accused of corruption, cronyism and abuse of power.

When he was removed from power amid accusations of corruption and allegations he disrespected the king, however, his supporters regrouped and won the last election in 2007.

The two pro-Thaksin premiers who filled his shoes were forced from office, too, in controversial court rulings handed down after enraged "Yellow Shirt" demonstrators took to the streets. They overran the prime minister's office and shut down both of Bangkok's international airports, stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers.

When Abhisit came to power in the army-pressured political maneuverings that followed, it was the opposition "Red Shirts" who protested — first overrunning a regional summit in 2009 that saw heads of state evacuated off a hotel rooftop, then staging last year's mass demonstration.