Viagra Stiffens up the Vote

[Mekong]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) â?? Vote-buying is an old practice in Thai politics, but one candidate for December's Thai election has reportedly come up with a new tactic â?? handing out Viagra instead of cash.

 

The allegation, made Thursday by a campaign worker against a rival party, comes as rules about handing out favors to voters have become stricter than ever, barring even the distribution of free T-shirts and soft drinks.

 

Sayan Nopcha, a campaigner for the People's Power Party in Pathum Thai province just north of Bangkok, said the drug used to treat sexual dysfunction in men was being distributed to elderly male voters at social functions.

 

Viagra is supposed to be used only on a doctor's advice, but is generally available over the counter in Thailand.

 

"The politician is giving out Viagra to gain popularity and votes," said Sayan, a local government official whose older brother is the PPP candidate. "I think this is a very bad way of vote-buying."

 

He would not identify the candidate who allegedly handed out the pills.

 

Under a tough new law, both the supplier and recipient of vote-buying can face criminal charges. Candidates can be disqualified and their party disbanded, as was the case with the old law, while voters who accept money or gifts can now face from one to 10 years in prison.

 

More than 4,200 candidates from 41 parties are competing for 480 seats in the lower house of parliament in the Dec. 23 polls â?? the first to be held after a bloodless military coup ousted elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September last year.

Source

[loner w/a boner]

Hmmm, guess someone "big" is up for re-erection.

 

Or maybe they're just trying to liven things up at the "poll"...

[Torneyboy]

Sounds like it ..could be fun at the after poll parties

[Flashermac]

AFP reports it too, but at least AP gets the name of the province right ... and knows that it is a province.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Thailand fights vote buying with black magic, jail

 

2007-12-02 08:55:39

 

By Nopporn Wong-Anan

 

BURIRAM, Thailand (Reuters) - From solemn Buddhist prayers and "black magic" rituals to stiffer fines and longer jail terms, Thailand is going to extraordinary lengths to ensure a clean election this month.

 

Few analysts believe it will make any difference in the Southeast Asia nation with a long history of patronage and rampant vote buying.

 

But Kasem Wattanatham, election chief in the northeast province of Buriram, hopes supernatural forces will prevail where more worldly efforts to fight vote fraud do not.

 

Kasem called in a 90-year-old faith healer to lead 200 officials and police in a "black magic" ceremony where they swore not to breach election laws.

 

"We are all Buddhist. We all believe in supernatural powers," he said before the faith healer led the group in prayers inviting spirits and gods to hear their oath.

 

"I will show no bias toward any party or politicians. If I show any bias then I deserve any karma that may come to myself and family," the group chanted.

 

"If I perform my duties righteously, then may my family and I (will) be happy and prosperous."

 

Academics estimate up to 20 billion baht ($600 million) will be spent on handouts, gifts and bribes to voters in the December 23 election held more than a year after the bloodless coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

 

The coup leaders who promised to clean up Thai politics after ousting the former billionaire telecoms tycoon have made eradicating vote buying a top priority.

 

Last month, in a ceremony organized by election officials at Bangkok's most sacred Buddhist temple, representatives from 11 political parties took an oath pledging to refrain from vote buying.

 

VIAGRA FOR VOTES?

 

More coercive measures are be used as well.

 

Vote buying can draw a jail sentence of up to 10 years, while the recipient of a bribe could get up to five years in prison. Fines of up to 100,000 baht can also be imposed.

 

The Election Commission will rule this week on one of the first cases of alleged fraud, involving a petrol station owner in Nakhon Ratchasima accused of buying votes who denies any wrongdoing.

 

Vote fraud often does not involve a simple exchange of cash. It can be school fees, food handouts or even medicines.

 

Sayan Nopkham, the brother of a People Power Party candidate in Pathum Thani province, said a rival candidate was discreetly handing out Viagra to voters in his constituency.

 

"He hands out one or two Viagra pills to middle-aged men when he is campaigning. Another trick is to hand out bags of rice," said Sayan, who declined to name the candidate or party.

 

He said officials know about it, but do nothing.

 

One of the more controversial aspects of the anti-vote buying campaign is its reliance on district and village chiefs to report and stop fraudulent activities.

 

In fact, it is likely to increase fraud because these people are often linked to political parties which can then "operate illegally without fear of being reported," Adam Cooper of the Asian Network for Free Elections wrote in a commentary.

 

The campaign is "misguided" and "will exacerbate a problem that most people agree is widespread," he said, citing a poll that found nearly two-thirds of respondents would accept a bribe.

 

Cooper said more transparency in selecting provincial election commissions, a bigger role for domestic poll observers and improved voter education would be more effective.

 

"Such measures will not eliminate vote buying overnight," he said. "But if anything is to be done about vote buying, it will require careful analysis and thoughtful planning."

 

($1=33.8 baht)

 

(Additional reporting and editing by Darren Schuettler)

 

[Flashermac]

Thaksin had his favourite "witch doctor", from Buriram too. He's supposed to have hired George L. C. Black (or whatever) to ensure he would win the election and stay in office. Obviously, he didn't ask for protection against a coup before that election.