Thai protesters try to block election sign-up
Source: AP-Excite
BY JOCELYN GECKER and JINDA WEDEL
BANGKOK (AP) - Anti-government protesters determined to unseat Thailand's prime minister surrounded a Bangkok sports stadium in an unsuccessful attempt to physically block political parties from registering for a February election.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is popular among the rural majority but disliked by the urban middle class and educated elite, called the Feb. 2 elections to diffuse tension after several weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations in the Thai capital.
The attempted blockade comes after the main opposition Democrat Party said over the weekend it will boycott the vote, which Yingluck's ruling party would likely win.
Officials from her party and eight others managed to sign up for the election by slipping into the stadium in the middle of the night, despite the presence of some protesters who had camped out overnight, the Election Commission said.
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Anti-government protesters link arms while blocking a police station near a sports stadium to prevent political parties from making a registration in the upcoming general election, Monday, Dec. 23, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. Protesters surrounded the sports stadium in an unsuccessful attempt to physically block political parties from registering for the February election. Monday's move is the latest tactic used by the protesters who are trying to force the downfall of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The placard held by a protester depicting Yingluck reads: "Against corruption, get out." (AP Photo/Apichart Weerrawong)