Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday rejected observers' comments that the strong abstention vote in the capital was a slap in the face for the Thai Rak Thai Party as it reflected the "loud voice" of opposition to his return to the premiership.

But the fact remains that among the 36 Thai Rak Thai Party candidates who won in all 36 Bangkok constituencies, only nine received more votes than abstentions, despite the election boycott by the party's three main rivals - the Democrat, Chat Thai and Mahachon parties.

The number of abstention votes cast by the capital's voters across the constituencies totalled around 1.32 million, while those cast for Thai Rak Thai Party candidates totalled at about 1.16 million.

The number of abstention votes for party-list candidates exceeded 1.26 million, toppling votes won by the Thai Rak Thai Party, which totalled about 1.23 million.

Among the top 10 constituencies where "no-votes " dramatically exceeded votes for Thai Rak Thai, Constituency 5 takes first place. The area covers the business districts of Bangrak and Samphanthawong, where Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai candidate Jakrapob Penkair were confronted by a group of angry anti-Thaksin shopkeepers during their campaign last week.

Danuporn Punnakanta, a Thai Rak Thai candidate running in neighbouring Constituency 6 of Yan Nawa and Sathon districts, faced the same "people's verdict".

The high number of "no votes" in the two areas has shown that the Thai Rak Thai Party was still rejected in the middle-class Democrat strongholds, despite the absence of former House members ML Apimongkol Sonakul and Korn Chatikavanij.

Jakrapob and Danuporn received about 22,000 and 26,000 votes, respectively. The abstentions in Jakrapob's constituency exceeded 56,000, more than doubling the  votes he received. The "no votes" cast in Danuporn's constituency also totalled more than 50,000.

The plunging popularity of Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai Party was made obvious on the capital's outskirts, too, with "no votes" in each of the southwestern constituencies of 33 to 36 also exceeding 40,000.

Although the four constituencies voted in Thai Rak Thai candidates in the last elections, the areas are known for their swing voters, with allegiances swinging over the years between Muanchon, Palang Dharma, the Democrats and the Thai Rak Thai Party.

The voters proved that their loyalty to any particular leader or political party is not fixed, but determined by the political context and circumstances at the time of voting. This was particularly clear in Constituency 34, which covers Bang Khunthien and Bang Bon, where Thai Rak Thai candidate Sakon Muangsiri received around 52,750 votes, approximately 20,000 less than his results in the previous election.

In Constituency 25, covering Min Buri and Khlong Sam Wa districts on the outskirts of Bangkok, the Thai Rak Thai Party also took a relative battering.

Although winning Thai Rak Thai candidate Wichan Meenachayanan received more than 56,000 votes - compared to the 73,000 votes he received in the 2005 election - his position and legitimacy were shaken by the marginal gap between the abstain votes, which totalled 53,635.

The area is known as a Thai Rak Thai stronghold with a high number of residents who are industrial workers who originally come from the North and Northeast.

Although Thai Rak Thai candidates saved their House seats in constituencies 20 and 21, once again their positions were undermined by the "no votes". 

Political Desk

The Nation

-------------------------------------

Top ten 'no vote' in Bangkok   

Votes Abstentions

1 Constituency 5: Chakrapob Penkair 22,231 56,277 

2 Constituency 25: Wichan Meenachayanan 56,316 53,635 

3 Constituency 6: Danuporn Punnakanta 26,420 50,887 

4 Constituency 24: Mongkhon Kimsoonjan Ê62,837 47,356 

5 Constituency 34: Sakon Muangsiri 52,750 46,599

6 Constituency 36: Sawaeng Roekjaran 44,941 45,744

7 Constituency 21: Patarasak Osathanukroh 33,646 45,610 

8 Constituency 33: Suwat Wansirikun 42,698 44,888

9 Constituency 35: Sutha Chansaeng 40,352 44,722 

10 Constituency 11: Chalermchai Jeenawijarana 36,235 44,029