Thailand Protests Wane Despite Calls to Shut Down Bangkok BANGKOK - Antigovernment demonstrators marched to government offices on Thursday, but their numbers were far lower than they were earlier in the week, when they started their campaign to shut down Bangkok. Protesters are pledging to stop elections next month while the government is vowing that they will take place. During two months of protests, the number of government detractors on the streets has waxed and waned, and many parts of Bangkok have been unaffected by the demonstrations. But the country appears no closer to resolving its debilitating power struggle, and protesters say they will not give up until Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and other key ministers step down. Ms. Yingluck, who called elections last month in a failed attempt to defuse the crisis, presided over a political forum on Wednesday meant to be a concession to her opponents to discuss the possibility of postponing the election. But in a sign of the distrust and the highly fractious political atmosphere in the country, the protest leaders, the opposition Democrat Party and the Election Commission all refused to take part in the meeting. Ms. Yingluck said it was "regrettable" that the Election Commission did not show up, although the secretary general of the organization attended as an observer. The governing party has accused the commission of lacking independence and being overly politicized. Phuchong Nutawong, the secretary general of the Election Commission, was quoted as saying the commission was ready to arrange the election on Feb. 2. Ms. Yingluck's party will almost certainly win the election. The Democrat Party, which has not won an election in more than two decades, is boycotting and has allied itself with the protesters.