BANGKOK, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A ruling government party has won over an opposition party in Sunday's by-election for MP in northern Thailand.
Palang Pracharath Party candidate Phetphum Apornrat won 45,687 votes in the by-election in Constituency 2 of Kamphaengphet province, compared to 37,989 votes for candidate Kamphol Pankul of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, according to unofficial results of the by-election.
Phetphum is replacing his father, Waipoj Apornrat, a former Palang Pracharath MP whom the Supreme Court has sentenced, among several others, to four years in prison for offenses involving 2009's Red Shirt mass protests which disrupted an ASEAN summit in Pattaya.
Despite an arrest warrant issued by the court, Waipoj had managed to remain at large and then agreed to turn himself in to authorities, following his son's electoral race for the constituency where he used to represent in parliament.
