Thai court says April poll 'unconstitutional'
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-08 14:11
BANGKOK - Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that the
inconclusive April 2 general election was unconstitutional and a new poll should
be held, one of the 14 judges told reporters after a meeting of the court.
"The Constitutional Court voted 8 to 6 that the elections were
unconstitutional and voted 9 to 5 to hold a new election," Judge Ura Wangomklang
told reporters. A court spokesman was due to address a news conference later.
Earlier, another judge said the decision would resolve the political
crisis, although a clear way out of what revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej has
described as a "mess" does not appear to be imminent.
The impasse was
brought about by an opposition boycott of the snap poll that left empty seats in
parliament and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra unable to form a government.
However, the opposition Democrat party, which said the April poll was
not fair, said it would participate in a re-run after a rare intervention by the
king last month.
Thaksin called the election three years early to
counter a Bangkok-based street campaign against him.
The election
revealed a strong protest vote, and led to Thaksin taking a "political break"
and passing day-to-day work to a deputy.
However, in the past week, he
has stepped back into the public eye, leading a cabinet audience with the king
to mark Coronation Day on Friday, intensifying speculation that his stepping
aside was purely cosmetic.
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