Prime Minister Chuan and Thai Rak Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra smile before going into battle.

On November 9, His Majesty the King approved the ending, or "dissolution", of the House of Representatives. This prepared the way for what is sure to be an exciting campaign season leading up to the general election which is scheduled for January 6.

Throughout the next six weeks, your Bangkok Post will be publishing hundreds of stories about the election campaign. This gives you a wonderful chance to learn to read about this election and just about any other election that comes along in the future.

Of course, to do this you will need to know much of the vocabulary writers typically use to describe election stories. That is what this lesson is for. You will find both basic election vocabulary plus words that have become popular for describing this particular Thai election.

Some basics Members of Parliament (MPs) hold seats in the House of Representatives. Most of them represent election districts known as constituencies and, of course, the constituents who live there. This time, however, the new constitution has introduced a second set of MPs, known as party-list MPs, who represent their parties nationwide. All MPs lose their seats – at least temporarily – when parliament is dissolved and a new election is called. However, the Prime Minister and his cabinet carry on as a caretaker government until a new government is formed. The Chart Thai Party gained a fresh face with the entry of "Bam" Liuchalermwong into the race. A general election is a form of competition and this is reflected in the language we use to describe it. The candidates – the competitors – actually "run" for election in a "race" against their opponents. They do so under the banners of their "teams" – their political parties. In Thailand, when an election is called, there is usually a major realignment where many MPs defect from their original parties to join other parties. Political parties announce their policies on important issues in their party platforms, also sometimes known as their manifestos. During the past few weeks, they have also been unveiling their constituency and party-list candidates. Candidates will use every means of transportation available to visit the voters. When the campaign starts, the candidates, their party leaders and their canvassers tour the constituencies making pledges that they hope will woo voters into supporting them on election day. Mudslinging is also common during the campaign in which candidates make harsh personal attacks on their rivals. On election day, the eligible voters who make up the electorate cast their ballots in polling stations around the country. The turnout is a measure of the percentage of these voters who actually vote. Shortly after the polling stations close, the vote counting begins and the media starts to report the returns. In fact, some television stations are even likely to declare many of the winning candidates, based not on actual vote counts, but on the results of their exit polls. As we have just seen in the US election, these exit polls are not always accurate and it is safest to wait until the votes have been tabulated. The words used to describe the election results often depend on the margin of victory. A very large victory is called a landslide and a very close election is called a cliffhanger or a squeaker in which the winner edges out his or her opposing candidates. If a party wins all the seats in any area, it is said to sweep that area. An unexpected victory or loss is often referred to as an upset. Verbal attacks The campaign has begun in earnest and the parties are busy promoting their policies and their candidates. As usual, however, much of the rhetoric has been negative and it has been aimed at their opponents. The two "heavyweight" parties, the Democrats and Thai Rak Thai have been particularly nasty. Thai Rak Thai leaders have blamed the Democrats for leading the country into economic ruin and engaging in corruption. The only thing the Democrats are adept at, they say, is passing the buck and blaming others for their own mistakes. The Democrats, on the other hand, have accused their rivals of dumping huge amounts money in order to win votes and siphon off (or "suck") politicians away from other parties. New rules Yuwarat Komolvej: holding the red cards This is the first general election to be held under the rules set by Thailand’s new constitution and its amended election law. Certainly one of the most important differences between this election and previous elections is that there is a new and powerful "watchdog", the Election Commission. It’s job is to organise and monitor the election process, certifying winners and disqualifying cheaters (giving them the "red card" as the local media likes to say). Most people believe there is still likely to be a lot of poll fraud – particularly vote buying – but it will be done less openly and many of the cheaters are likely to be caught. Of course, the Commission itself must be fair and it must perform its duties in an unbiased, impartial way. Here is an exercise to get you started using some of the vocabulary featured on this page. Complete each of the sentences below with the most appropriate words from the list. Use only one word per blank. You will not use all the words on the list. platform passing the buck turn out caretaker fraud cast your ballot mudslinging eligible voters siphoned off cliffhanger defected monitor constituency landslide under the banner realignment The present cabinet is only acting as a __________ until the new government is formed, so it has rather limited duties. The Election Commission is often called a "watchdog" because its job is to __________ the election process and to see that it is fair. One of the key elements in the Thai Rak Thai party’s __________ is a promise to give Thai farmers a three-year delay in paying their debts. In a big surprise, TV presenter Janista "Bam" Liuchalermwong is running ______ ____ ________ of the Chart Thai Party. The Chart Pattana Party faces a big problem because many of its key former MPs have _______ to other parties, especially the Thai Rak Thai party. This time, candidates who try to win an election through _______ run the risk that they will be disqualified by the Election Commission. Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silpa-archa is running for election, not on the party list, but in a _____________ in his home province of Suphanburi. As usual, he is expected to win by a _______________. _________ is common because it often works. It makes people believe bad things about your opponent If you fail to solve a problem, but you don’t accept responsibility because you say someone else caused it, you are ________ _____ ______. The US election was a ____________ with many people staying up all night to see who would win in the exciting contest. In the US election, the __________ was only about 50 percent, indicating that almost half the ________ _______ didn’t use their right to vote. Many supporters of Al Gore blame the close election on the minor candidates like Ralph Nader or Patrick Buchanan who, they say, _______ _____ votes that might otherwise have gone to Mr Gore.

TEACHER'S NOTES

The most important thing for you to do with this lesson is to encourage your students to use what they learn for the remaining six weeks before the election.

Next week: What's it like when Tiger Woods plays golf. Plus Premier League and Words in the News

You will need another map to complete the full exercise and we have available the very best map you can find. It was featured in our November 17 post tips lesson and you can get to it by clicking here.

1. How many games are being played in London tomorrow?

2. Michael Owen and his Liverpool team-mates are travelling to Newcastle for their match tomorrow. About how far will they have to travel to get there?

1. 100 kilometres
   
2. 250 kilometres
3. 500 kilometres
4. 1500 kilometres

3. In which direction will they have to travel?

1. south
   
2. south west
   
3. east
   
4. north east

4. Most teams travel to their matches in large buses. Which sentence below best describes the scenery the Liverpool team is likely to experience on their trip?

1. Most of the trip will be along the seacoast.
2. Almost the entire trip will be through very flat farmland.
3. They will be travelling through a lot of hilly country.
4. hey will be travelling through the valley cut by the Wye River.

5. Suppose you want to buy a ticket for the Milburn Paddock section of Newcastle’s St James Park. It costs 30 British pounds. Look in today’s business section of the Bangkok Post to find out how many baht you would have to exchange to buy the ticket.

6. Here’s a map of the stadium area in downtown Newcastle to help you find your way. What river is that in the bottom left-hand corner of the map.

The word clinch is often found in election stories, but it is common in other stories as well. Here are some examples of how it is used. Can you guess its various meanings?

1. From the example sentences above, it is clear that clinch has several possible meanings. What are they? (Choose three of the following.)

1. a. to try very hard to do something
2. b. to hold someone or something very tightly
3. c. to succeed in getting or winning something
4. d. to shake up and down very quickly
5. e. to cause a person to finally decide to do something