It was the first time that the Democrat won a convincing majority in the Bangkok Council since the city adopted the semi-independent administration system.

The Thai Rak Thai Party won 18 seats in the Bangkok Council while the remaining four seats went to independent candidates.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced that 41.94 per cent or 1,676,373 of 3,996,881 eligible voters exercised their right.

The Democrat also swept 176 out of 255 district council seats in the district council elections, which took place in 36 districts on Sunday. The Thai Rak Thai won 71 seats and independent candidates won eight seats.

The Democrat won all seven district council seats in 20of the 36 districts, while the Thai Rak Thai won all seats in only seven districts.

The two parties shared seats of district councils with independent candidates in the eight remaining districts.

Political observers believe the election results showed that Bangkok voters snubbed the Thai Rak Thai following on-going political crisis.

But caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the results were local elections, which did not reflect the voters' sentiment in national-level politics.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan even attributed the Thai Rak Thai's defeat alleged cheating although the elections were organized by the Election Commission, which was accused of being biased in favour of the Thai Rak Thai.

Learning that the Democrat won the majority in the Bangkok Council, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajva said Monday that Democrat would give a free hand for its Bangkok councilors to work to ensure transparency in the works of the city administration.

The Thai Rak Thai voiced concern during election campaigns that it would affect the city council's function as check and balance against Democrat's Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayothin.

Abhisit said he would tell Democrat's Bankok councilors to work their best so that Bangkokians would not worry that the governor and most city councilors would inhibit check and balance mechanism because they belong to the same party.

Abhisit said the Democrat would also speed up various mass transport projects and social, education and public health policies of the city administration during the two remaining years of Apirak's term.

The Nation