BANGKOK — Anti-government protesters determined to unseat Thailand's prime minister surrounded a Bangkok sports stadium Monday in an unsuccessful attempt to block political parties from registering for February elections.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is popular among the rural majority but disliked by the urban middle class and elite, called the Feb. 2 elections to defuse tension after several weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations in the Thai capital.
The attempted blockade comes after the main opposition Democrat Party said over the weekend it will boycott the vote, which Yingluck's ruling party would likely win.
Officials from her party and eight others managed to sign up for the election by slipping into the stadium in the middle of the night, despite the presence of some protesters who had camped out overnight, the state Election Commission said.
"We were aware that protesters would be blocking all entrances, so we went into the stadium at 4 a.m. while they were sleeping," said Prompong Nopparit, spokesman of the ruling Pheu Thai party. "Despite all this, the elections will continue as planned on Feb. 2."
With registration continuing for two weeks, the protesters have vowed to continue their blockade.