UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today urged all parties to refrain from violence during the upcoming election in Thailand. Ban called for the July 3 polls to be conducted peacefully and in a fair, credible and transparent way. In a statement, the UN Chief's spokesman said Ban also asked all parties to accept and respect the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box.According to police, more than 430 candidates have sought protection and more than 1 lakh 70,000 police officers are due to be deployed at polling stations on voting day. The ruling Democrat party, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, is locked in a tough battle with the main opposition party Puea Thai, led by the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006. The country has since suffered from deep political divisions and a series of street protests by rival groups.