Stars twinkle political chaos over Thai election

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's soothsayers, like most of its political analysts, reckon Sunday's general election will do little or nothing in the short term to resolve the country's deep divisions.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Eton- and Oxford-educated chief of a Democrat Party expected to emerge second to the People Power Party backing ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, should become prime minister at the head of a coalition, they said.

But it was not expected to last or go unchallenged.

"The country will be in chaos as People Power fans don't want to give up and the economy will escalate from bad to worse," said Kitja Thaveekulkij, who predicted Thaksin's ouster in 2006 five months beforehand.

"Abhisit will be prime minister for one-and-a-half years at most. After that the Democrats will have to shut their party for renovation awaiting a new leader to emerge," Kitja told Reuters.

That prediction was much in line with the views of political analysts who believe the leaders of the September 2006 coup against Thaksin and the royalist establishment are determined not to let his followers back into power.

The alignment of the stars would ensure abrasive and outspoken PPP chief Samak Sundaravej did not get into the prime minister's office and start orchestrating Thaksin's return from exile, Kitja said.

A Samak government would also seek to lift corruption charges against Thaksin, which the former leader denies, and unfreeze at least $1.5 billion in his Thai bank accounts. Astrologer Pinyo Pongcharoen predicted the next coalition government would comprise up to six parties with support from the army, again reflecting political analyst expectations of a weak, unwieldy coalition.