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Thailand Prepares for Elections; Questions Remain About Military's Role

The elections fulfill a promise the leaders of last year's military coup made to return the kingdom to civilian rule. The coup ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was accused of corruption and lacking respect for Thailand's revered king.Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire, is now in self-imposed exile in Britain and faces possible prison time if he tries to return to Thailand. Still, he looms large over these elections.Although his Thai Rak Thai party was dissolved and more than 100 of his allies banned from politics, many supporters have regrouped under the new People Power Party. Its strongest support comes from the same rural areas and working-class neighborhoods that had supported Mr. Thaksin.The 2006 coup exposed differences between Mr. Thaksin's largely poor, rural supporters, and the urban and upper-middle classes that opposed him. Analysts say those divisions remain in this election.Nopadol Patama, the PPP's deputy secretary-general, makes it no secret that a vote for his party on Sunday will implicitly be a vote for Mr. Thaksin."For many reasons. Some sympathy votes might be for Khun (Mr.) Thaksin, a lot actually. Because of his track record, his vision, and his love for the people. And also, there will be votes for our concrete policies," Nopadol said.The PPP vows to fight corruption, one of the reasons the military gave for the coup. But vows against corruption ring hollow to many here, where political experts - and some candidates - acknowledge that vote buying continues to be a problem.Although the military has kept its promises to enact a new constitution and hold elections, there are no guarantees the army will refrain from interfering with the political process once the country returns to civilian rule...
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