Jaroon Noothong, an academic with the Southern Studies Centre, said the huge number of "no-votes" in this election had sent a clear signal that most people don't want Thaksin as prime minister.

"This is an historic case that has never occurred in Thailand before," he said.

The official results of the one-horse election race have not yet been announced, but in Bangkok and in the South the number of "no-votes" overwhelmed the Thai Rak Thai Party votes to such an extent that the legitimacy of Thaksin's mantle of leadership is seriously in doubt.

Jaroon said most Thais had spoken out at the ballot box and shown they had lost faith in Thaksin's leadership.

And so it was time for Thaksin to make a decision in the best interests of the country, he said.

Abdulya-i Awaesuemae, a tourist operator in Narathiwat, said it was time for Thaksin to find a way out, because most voters had made it clear they wanted a new prime minister.

"We would like the prime minister to listen to the voice of the Thai people. Then we'll have peace and democracy," he said.

General Sonthi Boonyarataklin, the Army chief, said the "no-vote" phenomenon was a reflection of democracy.

"We should hold it up as part of the democratic process, in which differences of opinion are normal," he said.

Asked about Thaksin possibly planning for Somkid Jatusripitak or Bhokin Bhalakula to succeed him as prime minister, Sonthi said the military would support the prime minister no matter who it was because the military was always professional and stuck to the democratic system.

An unofficial tally of votes in the 19 provinces of the Northeast suggested most of the Thai Rak Thai candidates mustered more than 20 per cent of the vote.

But what is interesting is that looking more closely, urban voters in the northeastern provinces mostly cast "no votes", while people living outside the main districts voted Thai Rak Thai.

Somphan Techa-athik, an academic in Khon Kaen, said urban voters in the Northeast cast "no-vote" ballots because they had access to information from academics and the People's Alliance for Democracy, who have rejected the Thaksin model.

"They have been in a position to get information all along," he said.

On the contrary, voters living outside the main districts, or in constituencies 2, 3 or 4, had no access to information and lived under the patronage system, so they mostly voted Thai Rak Thai in the election, he said.

Somphan said the pro-democracy movement had succeeded in exposing flaws in the Thaksin model, because so many voters cast "no-vote" ballots and intentionally spoiled the election.

Suntharee Hatthi Chengking, an activist in Khon Kaen, said the fact that Thai Rak Thai was likely to win the election wasn't surprising, because it had no rivals.

"But we have to consider the election results by combining together the votes of those who did not vote, those who spoiled their ballots and those who marked "no-vote" and then comparing that total with the number of Thai Rak Thai votes. Then we'll get an indication of whether Thai Rak Thai is still popular or not," she said.

Chakrawan Wannawong, chairman of the Democrat Party's Chiang Mai branch, said the voters turned out in huge numbers to cast a "no-vote" because they were not happy with threats against the media and the violence against the opposition.

Last week, Chuan Leekpai and Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrats were attacked by a group of Thaksin supporters during a tour of Chiang Mai undertaken in a bid to explain their boycott of the vote.

The attack backfired against Thai Rak Thai.

"The attack against the Democrats and also the threats against the media led voters to turn out in huge numbers to make their voices heard," he said.

Putthipong Poonnakan, a deputy governor of Bangkok, said the "no-vote" phenomenon reflected voters' doubts about the Thaksin government's management of the country.

"We want the new government to carefully select candidates to become ministers, because they must be able to answer all the questions raised by the public. In the past, the questions raised against the prime minister were not adequately answered, particularly in cases of conflict of interest," he said.

"It's time Thai Rak Thai improved itself."

Buri Ram Senator Karun Sai-ngarm said the "no-vote" outcome was a slap in the face for the prime minister and he should resign to pave way for a royally appointed premier.

"This is the only way to restore peace and reconcile the country," he said.