The Constitution Tribunal handed down a landmark verdict on Wednesday that disbanded the Thai Rak Thai for election fraud and barred 111 executive members of the country's largest party from politics for five years. The rulings amount to a dramatic shake-up of Thai politics.

The electoral fraud cases were related to five political parties including the Thai Rak Thai, Pattana Chart Thai and Thai Ground parties and Democrat and Progressive Democratic parties.

The Thai Rak Thai was accused of hiring candidates of small parties to run in the election on April 2 last year (2006), to avoid the required 20 per cent of votes according to the law, as many of the party’s candidates were the only candidate for the constituency.

The Democrat Party was accused of co-operating with the People’s Alliance for Democracy to topple and frame the Thai Rak Thai government. It was also accused of hiring candidates from the Progressive Democratic to run in the election in Trang and frame the Thai Rak Thai. The Constitution Tribunal ruled that the Democrat Party had not breached the MPs and Senatorial Election Act because the act had lapsed after the coup. The Democrat Party escapes dissolution when the Constitution Tribunal found it not guilty in the electoral fraud case.

Former premier and Thai Rak Thai ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, responding to the ruling against the party, told BBC: "We have to respect the rules of the game. That is, the rule of the law. If the rules of the law are observed, we have to respect it." Thaksin said he would "definitely" come back to Thailand because "it's my home country. I love my country. I love my people."

Caretaker Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisang said last night that the Constitution Court's verdicts disbanding his party, along with two others, was "highly unexpected", and expressed his worry over "setbacks" towards the development of democracy in Thailand.

He called on more than 14 millions party supporters to respect the verdicts, and not protest or resist them.

"Exercise your tolerance and wisdom and be calm," he said in a brief interview outside the courthouse.

Chaturon said he was confident that he would offer good ways out to "go forward together" with party supporters, who he said, still had faith in him and share the Thai Rak Thai ideology.

At party headquarters, party supporters and party MPs cried and consoled each other, before giving themselves applause and reading a poem grieving the verdicts.

An official party statement will be released at 11 am Thursday.

Caretaker Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisang vowed on Wednesday night to fight on after the Constitution Court's verdicts disbanding his party.

Speaking emotionally at his party headquarters, he said the verdicts had proved that who controlled the state power could make anything right. "Although the power is achieved through the gun barrels, it's still the right thing."

He said the public could not accept the verdicts. "This is not acceptable. The country is now ruled under dictatorship," he added. He continued his verbal attacks before his speech was take over by a newscaster.

Chaturon said earlier at the courthouse that he was "highly unexpected", and expressed his worry over "setbacks" towards the development of democracy in Thailand.

He called on more than 14 millions party supporters to respect the verdicts, and not protest or resist them. "Exercise your tolerance and wisdom and be calm," he said in a brief interview outside the courthouse.

Chaturon said he was confident that he would offer good ways out to "go forward together" with party supporters, who he said, still had faith in him and share the Thai Rak Thai ideology.

The end of the Thai Rak Thai party is no guarantee of the Democrats' rise to power and a better political future for the country.

One day after seeing his party survive allegations of election fraud in the marathon verdict by the Constitution Tribunal, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has become the focus of speculation that his chances of becoming the country's youngest ever prime minister look bright.

His party will soon hold talks with the Chart Thai and Mahachon parties to discuss the general elections and the country's political future.

After Thai Rak Thai's dissolution on Wednesday night, its non-executive members now have to find new homes to prepare for the polls expected to be held in December.

Mr Abhisit said the party is open to newcomers but entrance is not automatic. The party has to discuss new applicants and they cannot apply if they have any conditions, he added.

Sombat Chanthornwong, a political analyst at Thammasat University, said the road to Government House for Mr Abhisit and his Democrat party was not a sure thing.

Several opinions polls had shown many voters who did not support Thai Rak Thai would not favour the Democrats.

He suggested the party rise to the occasion and try to win a wider backing.

Mr Sombat warned that the five-year ban slapped on 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives did not mean they would lose their power and influence.

Once the election date was set, they could put in place their own nominees to contest the polls and pull the strings from behind the scenes, he said.

Srisomphob Jitpiromsri, deputy dean of the political science faculty of Prince of Songkhla University, said the absence of Thai Rak Thai opened the door for ''old and conservative politicians'' from the Democrats, Chart Thai and Mahachon to rise up and play a greater role in politics.

Mr Srisomphob called on other parties to emulate the success of the former Thai Rak Thai party by launching populist policies. Platforms without rhetoric and with a focus on action would be the key for political parties to attract voters and win elections, he said.

Under Thaksin Shinawatra's leadership, Thai Rak Thai used populist policies to win the elections in 2001, easily beating out the Democrats. Its winning margin was even wider in the 2005 polls.

"Even though Thai Rak Thai has been disbanded, I believe most people remain loyal to its successful populist policies," said Mr Srisomphob.

Thai Rak Thai was dissolved and its 111 executives were slapped with a five-year ban for hiring small political parties to field candidates to run in the April 2 general election last year so that it could avoid the requirement of having to win 20% of eligible votes.

Many former Thai Rak Thai members facing the ban are veteran politicians.

Surichai Wangaeo of Chulalongkorn University's political science faculty said the disbanding of Thai Rak Thai should be an opportunity for other political parties to improve themselves. They should recruit and field many more young candidates in the next elections to attract voters.

Sangsidh Piriyarangsan, of Chandarakasem Rajabhat University, said he believed the political situation and the economy in the country would improve because more new faces would enter politics.

But Chamlong Srimuang, a member of the National Legislative Assembly, was not optimistic about the future of politics after the ban on Thai Rak Thai.

Politics in the country will not improve much because most people still did not truly understand the importance of elections and democracy.

Until then, vote-buying would continue and be seen in the next election, he said.

Maj-Gen Chamlong, who brought Mr Thaksin to politics, also warned of chaos and called for authorities to keep an eye on those politicians barred from politics. They could stir up trouble for the government, he added.