Thailand’s election commission is calling for upcoming elections to be delayed after street battles between security forces and protesters resulted in the death of a police officer and injured nearly 100 people.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra wants the Feb. 2 elections to take place as scheduled, believing she can win and renew her mandate. The street violence adds pressure to take a tougher line against the protesters, risking more chaos and possible intervention by the army.

BBC reporter Jonathan Head joins Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the anti-government demonstrations in Thailand.

• BBC: Thailand protests: Yingluck government rejects election delay

Associated Press contributed to reporting for this article.

Guest

• Jonathan Head, Southeast Asia correspondent for the BBC. He tweets @pakhead.

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