BANGKOK -- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's gamble to test his political brand in provincial elections on Saturday yielded mixed fortunes, prompting analysts to conclude that the patriarch of the Pheu Thai Party, which heads the ruling coalition, has lost some of his touch with voters after 17 years in exile.
Of the nine provinces that Thaksin stumped in over the final stretch for Pheu Thai candidates contesting the provincial administrative organizations (PAO), the party won five. Overall the party won 10 of the 16 PAOs it fought in elections that were seen as a test of the government's popularity midway through its four-year term.
