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BANGKOK - THE first by-election got under way on Sunday in a Thai constituency where voting was marred by fraud in last month's polls, while dozens of winning candidates remain under investigation.
The Election Commission (EC) held the re-run in northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province, where the victories of three candidates from the People Power Party (PPP), which won the most seats in the Dec 23 poll, were overturned.
'Everything is going OK. We are not likely to have any problems,' EC secretary general Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn told reporters. Officials said that results were expected late in the day.
The three PPP candidates got so-called yellow cards, which means there were credible reports of electoral fraud, but not enough evidence to exclude the candidates from re-running.
A handful of other candidates from major parties - most from the PPP - have been carded, and by-elections will take place throughout January.
The EC is expected to complete the re-runs and certify 95 percent of the winning candidates by the time the Thai parliament convenes on Jan 22.
Candidates handed red cards by the EC cannot stand in by-elections, and the party they represent is not allowed to field a replacement candidate.
Thousands of people in Buriram province protested last week against the EC's decision to red-card three PPP candidates, complaining it was biased against the party, which is allied with ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The PPP won 233 of the 480 seats in parliament, and announced that it would form a coalition government with partners from smaller parties.
But the EC has investigated 65 of its winning candidates for alleged vote fraud, with about half still being probed, casting doubt over whether it will manage to pull together enough seats for a coalition.
Thaksin was removed in a military coup in Sept 2006, and his political party Thai Rak Thai was dissolved. Many members went on to join the PPP. -- AFP
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