Yesterday's verdict handed down by the nine-member Constitution Tribunal on the electoral fraud charges involving the Democrat Party and the obscure Progressive Democratic Party was based on a thorough consideration of the evidence and sound reasoning and it should set a new standard for the settlement of disputes over constitutional matters in this country.

The tribunal took its time deliberating the charges levelled against the two parties, carefully examining both prosecution and defence arguments, and decided to acquit the Democrat Party of all charges, but found the Progressive Democratic Party guilty of falsifying party records to enable its candidates to run in Trang constituencies. The tribunal then gave an order to have the Progressive Democratic Party dissolved. Having been acquitted of all electoral fraud charges, the Democrat Party can look forward to participating in the political process leading up to the general election scheduled for later this year with confidence. The electoral prospects for the Democrat Party - arguably the only political party with an organisational structure and operations based on genuine democratic principles - must have dramatically improved, which is not a bad thing for democracy. Most other political parties are little more than vehicles for the rich and the powerful to launch their political careers, which was the reason Thaksin Shinawatra started his Thai Rak Thai Party.

These political parties were started by influential people who had enough money to buy the loyalty of a sufficient number of incumbent members of the House of Representatives so as to ensure their chances of winning a substantial number of seats in Parliament, which would serve as a springboard to political power.

As we went to press last night, the tribunal had yet to deliver its verdict on electoral fraud allegedly committed by the Thai Rak Thai Party and two little-known parties. The tribunal's decision must be respected whether it eventually ruled in favour of or against the Thai Rak Thai Party and the other two parties.

The Constitution Tribunal's rulings should offer a sense of closure on one of the most controversial issues that has stood in the way of reconciliation between the urban middle-class and the rural masses, and the restoration of a sustainable democracy in this country: who should be entrusted with the people's sovereign power to run this country?

The rural masses were charmed by Thaksin's populism and continue to support his Thai Rak Thai Party while the urban middle-class, disgusted by the culture of deceit and corruption that he stood for, want him banished from politics for good. To be sure not everyone will find the tribunal's rulings truly fair or to their liking because people's feelings are based on their ideological leanings and worldviews.

But Thai society must find a starting point somewhere if reconciliation between the urban middle-class and the rural masses is to be achieved. Without reconciliation, democratic politics in this country will continue to be polarised and susceptible to cynical manipulation by demagogic politicians like Thaksin.

Whatever verdict was rendered in the case of the Thai Rak Thai Party, one thing is certain: Thaksin and at least some of his close associates participated in a sinister manipulation of the urban-rural divide and undermining of democratic institutions, dividing people to the point of potentially violent confrontation and a protracted political crisis, which culminated in the September 19, 2006 military coup.

The urban middle-class and the rural masses will have to find a way to accommodate each other's needs and aspirations as fellow citizens in a democratic society. With the right attitude, each will have much to learn from the other. While the rural masses need to more strictly judge their politicians against such standards as good governance and public accountability, the urban middle-class must shed their excessive reliance on powerful institutions, such as the military, to solve problems facing democracy for them.

Thai citizens, regardless of their political ideology and socio-economic status, must learn to assert themselves politically through effective citizenship, which is one of the most important prerequisites for the development of a strong democracy. People need to work hard to develop a genuine democracy, based on the rule of law, that serves their needs and aspirations while at the same time creating a conducive environment for sustainable economic and social development.