Some 681,116 people cast their ballots in advance voting in Thailand's general election over the weekend, slightly more than the number who voted during last election in February 2005, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.

According to the constitution, eligible voters across Thailand who could not vote on the election day can cast ballots in their respective constituencies in advance.

During the advance balloting in January 2005, held ahead of the February general election, 672,469 voters cast ballots.

Some 24,832 Thais living abroad voted at Thai missions in the foreign countries, while 103,604 are registered to vote in advance, said Anucha Osathanond, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Consular Affairs Department. Last year's overseas advance turnout was 85,931.

Meanwhile, an initial report of overseas ballots received from 71 of 86 polling stations located in 63 countries revealed that only 24,832 people came out to vote during March 17-26, although 103,604 have registered to vote in advance, Anucha Osathanond, acting chief of the Department of the Consular Affairs, was quoted as saying by The Nation newspaper.

The biggest turnouts of Thai voters overseas were in the United States, China and Israel.

The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected a call by senators to postpone Sunday's election. EC Chairman Wassana Permlarp said the commissioners saw no other option than standing by the royal decree calling for elections on April 2 and the agency is not authorized to change the date.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called the election three years early in a bid to defuse weeks of street protests demanding his resignation over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Thailand's top election official earlier voiced worries that this weekend's polls probably would not fill all the seats in parliament, casting doubt on whether a new prime minister could take office.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2006)