The United States is warning against any moves to stage a military coup in Thailand as anti-government protesters vow to press on with their fight after a disrupted weekend election.
With defiant demonstrators pledging to continue weeks-long street rallies aimed at ousting Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the US says it is "concerned that political tensions" were challenging the divided kingdom's democracy.
Thailand's protest-plagued elections have ushered in a new chapter of political uncertainty that experts say leaves the embattled government increasingly vulnerable to court intervention or a military coup.
"We certainly do not want to see a coup or violence," US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday, a day after opposition protesters prevented voting at thousands of polling stations to prompt election authorities to withhold results until ballots are cast in all constituencies.
"We are speaking directly to all elements in Thai society to make clear the importance of using democratic and constitutional means to resolve political differences," Psaki added.
There is little sign of an end to the deadlock, with the ruling Puea Thai party braced for court challenges against the poll - which was boycotted by the main opposition Democrat Party - as well as other legal moves against Yingluck.
The Thai premier's opponents say she is a mere puppet for her elder brother Thaksin, who was ousted by the military in 2006 and lives in Dubai to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.
Hundreds of protesters began another march across the capital Bangkok on Monday to raise support and funds for their three-month campaign to topple the government.
The demonstrators want Yingluck to step down and make way for an unelected "people's council" to oversee reforms to tackle corruption and alleged vote-buying.
With no official figures for voter turnout, both sides claimed success in the election, which passed in relative peace after a gunfight on Saturday in a Bangkok suburb stoked fears of serious clashes between the rival sides.
"According to the constitution, the election must be held on the same day. It was impossible to do it," protest spokesman Akanat Promphan told reporters at the start of the march.
"It's clear that this election must be nullified," he said.
The group said it would dismantle a number of protest stages in the capital but maintain its self-styled "shutdown" of the city.
