Thaksin’s supporters set to win vote

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, deposed, exiled and allegedly corrupt, was poised for a comeback-by-proxy as his loyalists seemed likely to win the national election today.

Thaksin, ousted last year by a military coup, may also come back in person early next year, sparking fears of continued political turbulence and sharp polarization that have plagued the country for two years.

The polls were being guarded by about 4,000 troops, most of them in southern Thailand where a Muslim insurgency has taken the lives of more than 2,600 people, said Col. Thanathip Sawangsaeng, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command. The Election Commission has received more than 700 complaints of election fraud, mostly related to allegations of vote-buying.