The ruling Democrat Party got a welcome boost with victory in Bangkok's district council elections on Sunday, although the polls are far less significant than a general election.
Democrat candidates were elected district councillors in 10 of the 14 districts in which elections were held. Candidates from the opposition Pheu Thai Party won in three other districts, and seats in the final district were shared between the two rival parties.
The Democrats won all 75 councillor seats in the districts of Bang Kapi, Bueng Kum, Lat Phrao, Wang Thonglang, Bang Khen, Lak Si, Saphan Sung, Sai Mai, Klong Samwa and Chatuchak.
Pheu Thai won all 23 seats in Khan Na Yao, Lat Krabang and Don Muang districts, while in Min Buri, the Democrats won four seats and Pheu Thai three.
On August 29, there will be elections for district councillors in 36 other districts, and polls for city councillors in all 50 districts of Bangkok.
For political observers and academics, the results of local elections are not indicative of a likely general-election outcome. They say voter turnout at local polls is often far lower than at a general election, and the result is often influenced by the existing support base of the political parties in those districts.
Sunday's elections saw an average voter turnout of 35 per cent, compared to more than 70 per cent in the last general election in 2007.
Pheu Thai's chief campaigner for Bangkok, Vicharn Meenchainant, said he thought the party's poor performance in Sunday's polls resulted from the recent protest by the red shirts, which culminated in riots and the torching of many buildings in the city.
He said many Bangkok voters still felt sore about the rioting and the damage caused.
The opposition party has close links to the red-shirt movement, which consists mostly of supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He has retained much influence in the Pheu Thai Party.
"The government has the advantage because it has presented one-sided news about the crackdown on the red shirts. Pheu Thai has been given no opportunity to explain itself," Vicharn claimed.
He added that if the protest had ended after the bloody incident of April 10 and the red-shirt leaders had agreed to the prime minister's five-point reconciliation plan, "Pheu Thai would have had a better chance in the Bangkok elections."
Pheu Thai's next big challenge lies in the August 29 Bangkok elections.
With a little over two months to regain lost popularity, Vicharn said the party would focus on scrutinising the Democrat-led government - particularly over alleged irregularities.
In the next elections, the 36 districts are in inner-city areas, where the Democrat Party has a strong support base.
The Democrats' head |campaigner in Bangkok, Ong-art Klampaiboon, who has just been appointed PM's Office minister, said he did not think Sunday's election results merely reflected the recent political turmoil.
District councillors give advice on public servicesA Bangkok district councillor's authority and duty:
Bangkok district councillors came into exis-tence under article 71 of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act BE 2528. This law stipulated that a district should have a dis-trict council consisting of at least seven elected councillors.
There was an elected councillor for every 100,000 people in the district and, if the population exceeded 100,000 by 50,000 or more, one elected councillor should be added. The district council's term was four years and its validity started from the election date until the end of term.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act BE 2528 stated that the district councillors' duties were: to provide opinion and suggestions about development plans to a district office director and the Bangkok Council, allocate dis-trict development budgets, and follow through the district office's work to ensure benefits to district residents.
They also have to provide advice and notices to the district office director about improving public services within the district, and respond to requests from the district office director.