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| Thai court rejects opposition bid to annul election | Thai court rejects opposition bid to annul election |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thailand's constitutional court has rejected an opposition request to annul the 2 February election, citing insufficient grounds. | Thailand's constitutional court has rejected an opposition request to annul the 2 February election, citing insufficient grounds. |
| The Democrat Party had argued that the poll violated the constitution for several reasons, including that it was not completed in one day. | |
| The government blamed the delay on the opposition blocking polling stations. | The government blamed the delay on the opposition blocking polling stations. |
| Thailand has been in a political crisis since mass anti-government protests kicked off in November. | Thailand has been in a political crisis since mass anti-government protests kicked off in November. |
| They were sparked by a controversial amnesty bill which critics said would allow former leader Thaksin Shinawatra to return to Thailand without serving time in jail for his corruption conviction. | |
| The demonstrators have since called for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister. | |
| The Democrats refused to contest the election - which they were almost certain to lose - arguing that reform of Thailand's political system must come first. | |
| Corruption investigation | |
| The government was understandably nervous about this ruling, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok. | |
| The constitutional court annulled a previous election seven years ago for seemingly trifling irregularities, he says. | |
| It has also twice dissolved previous incarnations of the ruling Pheu Thai party and twice forced prime ministers from office. | |
| This time though, the court dismissed the petition saying there was no credible evidence that the election had violated the constitution. | |
| The opposition movement has not exhausted legal avenues for blocking the government, our correspondent says. | |
| They are still hoping an official corruption investigation into Ms Yingluck and other ministers will prevent her from forming a new government. |