Democrats hold Bangkok | Bangkok Post: news

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BANGKOK ELECTION

Sukhumbhand triumphs

• Voters strive for balance of power as Democrat defies polls
• Chief rivals surpass million votes each in record turnout
• Pheu Thai makes strong gains on Democrats' turf

Published: 4 Mar 2013 at 00.25
Online news: Politics

Bangkok voters Sunday re-elected Democrat candidate MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra as the city's governor.

Democrat Party candidate Sukhumbhand Paribatra and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva exchanged high fives as it became clear Sunday evening that the Democrat candidate has won a second term in office. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)

Political observers consider the result an attempt by the capital's residents to counter the Pheu Thai Party's grasp on power on the national stage.

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faceless
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Discussion 71 : 05 Mar 2013 at 05.3671
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D.70, Why not see it as another democratic right to put one's hand up?

I'm sure those that do live all over Thailand (even O/S). Don't be a sore loser - it's a bad look.
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johnb
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Discussion 70 : 04 Mar 2013 at 20.4970
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If we look at the percentage of likes/ dislikes on this forum we can equate the leanings of the posters not to the Thai electorate or even the Bangkok electorate, but only to the more extreme regions of the South, i.e. the posters are generally out of touch with Thailand & Thai people.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 69 : 04 Mar 2013 at 20.3569
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@android #67: Do you remember when Thaksin won the general election a couple of years ago and when he explained to the people that his priority are the people who voted for him and that all the other are not so important because they did not trust him with their vote. Did you complain at that time about Thaksin’s behavior?
Today I looked at a map who voted for the DEMs and who for PT in this election. The dry middle part of Bangkok voted for the DEMs and the outskirts voted for PT. I guess Sukhumband will concentrate on the people who voted for him when the next flood comes. Or should he care about the red outer districts?
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subcoman
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Discussion 68 : 04 Mar 2013 at 20.1368
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Bangon, discussion 63, the focus is made that on in their stronghold of Bangkok, in the last governor elections in 2009 the Dems won by a margin of 323,000 voters
Next to catastrophic results in last general elections in North, Central, North Eastern provinces, yesterday for the 2013 governor elections and with a MUCH stronger turnout of voters, in their Bkk stronghold the margin was 180,000 in a city where they are supposed, at least by the Dems supporters, to be completely banished.
One question : What good news for the Dems in all elections since 15 years including the one of yesterday ?
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android
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Discussion 67 : 04 Mar 2013 at 18.5367
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So the out-skirts of bangkok will be flooded again when the next monsoon rain comes, just like last year in which all the water sluice gates surrounding bangkok was closed by Sukhumbhand.
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subcoman
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Discussion 66 : 04 Mar 2013 at 18.3566
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No Englishbob discussion 59, you are just THE commentators here who informed us "that the the shirts are finished" 2 years ago, who about 100 times informed us the Dems would win the last elections by a landslide, that PT was on complete decline and in the last 1 year and half about 10 times the very soon and quick fall of Yingluck government for different reasons.
Your last prediction, yesterday at 22:03 "I give 2 weeks before Tharit is instructed to lay charges against Sukumhand".
Any readers with a bit memory, can not wait for more of your "predictions" !!
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whatajoke
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Discussion 65 : 04 Mar 2013 at 18.2465
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Funny, all the bickering going on here. Same old complaints but different side winning. Sukhumband apparently won because people voted against Thaksin. Peua Thai won the national election apparently because people voted against the military allies. The policies presented in both cases were completely nutty populist ideas. Let's face it, what can a Bangkok Governor incumbent have achieved when the BMA relies on complicated unco-operative partnerships. What will change. This was merely a litmus test in a country were the tax-paying wealthy capital is out of lock-step with the rest of the country. Imagine if it were a Singapore?
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Bangon
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Discussion 64 : 04 Mar 2013 at 18.0564
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What is the most frightening with red partisans, is not that they are opinionated, one-sided bullies, to me it's they show signs of having been brainwashed and endoctrinated in a very effective way by the UDD/PTP propagandists, to the point where they will even negate evident proofs when the outcome might be opposite to the 'paymaster afar' and his spinners' theories and interests, ...and so easily become violent to make their point stick. IMO, it has an evil smell of totalitarism, not the fresh scent of Democracy!
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Bangon
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Discussion 63 : 04 Mar 2013 at 17.4563
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Any election won by a PTP candidate with 16+% of expressed votes more than a Dem's candidate would be called 'a landslide victory' by the red brothers! Now that they lost, they focus on 400,000 votes more for them and 'only' 200,000 more for the other side... One question for them: what about the few 1,000,000's potential voters you couldn't convince to come out for the polls, even with all the populist promises made?
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blobber
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Discussion 62 : 04 Mar 2013 at 17.0762
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Discussion 60. I agree with you that the Dems do need to do more to help the poor. They had some good policies at the last election but things were to be done more carefully over a longer period of time. Of course the voters just went for the "I want it all now" option.
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