BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Thai Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra insisted on Sunday that he will respect the people's voice to be expressed through the election on April 2, according to the web edition of local newspaper The Nation.

    "I hope all sides will respect the voice of the people after the April 2 election," Thaksin said at a health club in Bangkok.

    He said a lot of people came out to cast vote in advance on Saturday and Sunday, indicating that they cherished democracy.

    He said he did not mind if he did not become prime minister for another term but he simply wanted to protect democracy by having the election go on.

    Eligible voters across the country who have registered for advance balloting can cast their ballots in their respective constituencies from March 25-26.

    A total of 474,590 people cast their ballots on Saturday, the first day of advance voting, a statement issued by Thailand's Election Commission (EC) said.

    The highest turnout was in Bangkok, with 98,549 voters casting ballots.

    More than 20,000 voters also exercised their right to vote in advance in the insurgency plagued southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Enditem