Thai court rejects opposition petition to annul poll

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has rejected a petition by the country’s opposition Democratic Party to annul the February 2 general election.

The court said in a statement on Wednesday that it has declined to see through the complaint filed by the Democratic Party over the controversial voting, citing “insufficient grounds.”

On February 4, the opposition party, led by former prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban filed a petition to the Constitutional Court that the poll has violated the constitution on several grounds.

The petition also called for the dissolution of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling party for announcing a state of emergency, which meant the election “could not be held under normal circumstances.”

The vote was called by the Thai premier in an attempt to resolve the long-drawn-out unrest in the country.

On February 2, anti-government protesters disrupted the election by blocking the delivery of ballots to many polling stations and forcing authorities to cancel voting in parts of the capital, Bangkok, and several southern provinces.

Some seven people were wounded in vote-related skirmishes on the same day.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, on Tuesday, slated April 27 for voting re-runs in constituencies where election was dismantled by anti-government demonstrators.

The demonstrations were triggered on October 31, when the government proposed an amnesty bill that could have pardoned the prime minister’s brother and former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, setting the scene for his return to the country.

The ex-premier, ousted in 2006, has been in self-exile since 2008 to avoid a two-year prison sentence over corruption.