The Democrats won 35 of the 57 seats up for grabs in the Bangkok Council election, Bangkok City Clerk Nathanon Thavisin announced yesterday. Thai Rak Thai took just 18 seats and independent candidates held four. Of the 255 seats in the Bangkok district councils contested on Sunday, the Democrats took 176, while Thai Rak Thai won only 71. Independent candidates won the other eight seats, Nathanon said.

"Of the successful candidates, 18 are new faces," she added.

The Democrats won all 20 council seats in 20 of 36 districts, while Thai Rak Thai swept all available seats in only seven districts. The two main parties shared district council seats with independent candidates in eight districts.

Independent candidates won all the seats in only one Bangkok district, Bang Sue.

Nearly 42 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in the Bangkok Council's election on Sunday, with the highest turnout recorded in Nong Chok.

Overall turnout was below the target of 70 per cent, but higher than the turnout for the Bangkok Council election four years ago when only 35.53 per cent of eligible voters went to the booths.

Nathanon said the Bangkok Council election winners would have to wait for endorsement by the Election Commission, while winning candidates for the district councils would receive an endorsement letter from district office directors.

An informed source said there were close calls in three Bangkok Council districts, in which Democrat candidates beat Thai Rak Thai contenders by very narrow margins.

Thai Rak Thai Party yesterday had a meeting to discuss its defeat in the elections, while the victorious Democrat Party had a meeting to plan how to turn its policies into action as soon as possible.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the party would discuss how to promote power decentralisation in the Bangkok administration. It would allow for a  checks-and-balances mechanism in the Bangkok Council and encourage the role of the district councillors.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Pongthep Thepkanchana, the party's director for the elections on Sunday, said the party losing in local elections was not a surprise. However, the results of national elections usually were different to local ones.

Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan, who is in charge of the party's Bangkok MP candidates, thanked voters who voted for the party's candidates.

Sudarat said the party lost because candidates it had rejected decided to stand as independents.

But they and the party's official candidates tapped the same voter base and so they all received fewer votes.

Samatcha Hoonsara,

Yossawadee Hongthong

The Nation