BANGKOK, Thailand -Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed victory in Sunday's elections in what appeared to be a massive mandate for a second term, propelled by strong support from Thailand's rural poor and his adroit handling of the tsunami disaster.
With more than half the votes counted, the Election Commission projected Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party had captured 374 of the 500 parliamentary seats, while the rival Democrat party managed 91.
Official results were not expected until later in the week.
The numbers are more than enough to establish a one-party government
Thaksin declared Sunday after it became clear that he had won an unprecedented second term. Yesterday, he said he hoped to form the new government by early March.
The Democrat party all but conceded defeat before balloting began, but had hoped to gain enough votes with its potential allies to mount censure motions and stop amendment of the 1997 constitution, the fruit of decades of sometimes bloody struggle against dictatorial regimes.
Pointing to Thaksin's attacks against democratic institutions, including the press, during his last four years, critics fear the prime minister will seek to strike out some of the constitution's more liberal provisions.
Wassana Permlab, chief of the Election Commission, said more than 70 percent of the 44.8 million eligible voters cast ballots, surpassing the 69 percent in the 2001 election. Voting is mandatory in Thailand.
A police officer assigned to guard a Democrat party candidate was shot dead in volatile southern Thailand, Wassana said, but otherwise no major incidents were reported.
Twenty parties fielded 2,289 candidates, but it appeared that only four parties would win seats in the House of Representatives. Thaksin indicated he probably would not include his current partner and the third-ranked winning party, the Chart Thai, in his coalition. The fourth party to manage seats was Mahachon.
Thaksin, 55, is a self-made telecom millionaire who founded Thai Rak Thai, or Thai Love Thai, and rode to victory four years ago on public disenchantment with the slow recovery from Thailand's 1997 financial crisis. His vast personal fortune was a key advantage in forging a nationwide political network.
Thaksin came under fire last year for alleged cronyism, inept handling of a bird flu outbreak and failure to curb sectarian violence in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south. His intolerance of criticism also raised concern.
But his reaction to the Dec. 26 tsunami was effective, rushing to the scene with ministers in tow, barking orders and consoling survivors. Debate about his failings was soon swept off the front pages.
Populist initiatives delivering benefits such as affordable health care earned him the support of Thailand's rural majority. But election results show that even in Bangkok, where criticism of his policies was strongest, the Thai Rak Thai won decisive victories. 17
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