Polls have closed in Thailand's disputed general election, but the results may do little to resolve the country's bitter political divide.

The party of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is widely expected to win, but it is likely she will be forced to continue in her current caretaker role for months.

Thailand's electoral commission says nearly 90 per cent of voters were able to cast ballots without any problems.

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But in nine of the country's 77 provinces there was no voting at all due to the anti-government protest campaign.

Protest leader Suthep Thuaksoobahn has thanked supporters who prevented ballot boxes from being delivered to polling stations.

New rounds of voting in some constituencies are planned for February 23, but in other areas, voting will take place even later.

Apart from a few scuffles, Sunday was relatively peaceful and voting ended at 3:00pm local time (7:00pm AEDT).

Sorry, this video has expired Thailand goes through with election after violent clashes in Bangkok ( Samantha Hawley )

There were disruptions in 13 of Bangkok's 33 constituencies and 37 out of 56 constituencies in the country's south, where opposition to the government is strong.

Polling elsewhere in the country was unaffected.

"The situation overall is calm and we haven't received any reports of violence this morning," National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabutr said.

"The protesters are rallying peacefully to show their opposition to this election."

In the north and north-east, voting went smoothly, said Paritporn Hongthanithorn, a pro-government "red shirt" leader from Udon Thani, a Yingluck stronghold.

"Blocking polling booths and intimidation of ordinary people who want to vote is completely unacceptable," she said.

"We condemn what is happening in Bangkok and the south. The protesters cannot block people from exercising their right to vote."

Elsewhere, one election official and three soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Pattani province that police said was unrelated to the election.

Election low-key amid fears for further violence

The usual campaign billboards, glossy posters and pre-election buzz have been noticeably absent during this election.

The main opposition Democrat Party boycotted the poll and the electoral commission has already voiced concerns it would result in too few legitimately elected MPs to produce a parliamentary quorum.

Ms Yingluck's billionaire brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, is loved and loathed in Thailand, but his parties have won every poll since 2001.

His opponents say he is a corrupt crony capitalist who rules by proxy from self-exile in Dubai.

"We're not blocking the election. We're postponing it," said Nipon Kaewsook, 42, one of the hundreds of protesters blocking Ratchathewi District Office in central Bangkok to prevent the distribution of dozens of ballot boxes.

"We still need an election, but we need reform first," added Nipon, an English teacher from Phattalung in southern Thailand.

Protesters shouted "Yingluck get out!" and "Thaksin go to jail!" They took celebratory 'selfies' in front of the ballot boxes, placed in a car park at the back of the building.

Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at a polling station to cast her vote in Bangkok. ( Reuters: Chaiwat Subprasom )

Stalemate could lead to months of legal and legislative deadlock

Victory celebrations for Ms Yingluck, who will almost certainly claim victory once counting begins, will probably be muted.

With parliamentary seats unable to be filled, she could find herself on shaky ground, exposed to legal attacks and unable to pass bills and budgets crucial to reviving the economy.

Ms Yingluck had refused to postpone the election, even though a fifth of those registered for advance voting were unable to cast ballots after protesters blocked polling stations in 49 of 50 Bangkok districts as part of a shutdown of key intersections.

Anti-government demonstrators say Mr Thaksin subverted Thailand's fragile democracy by entrenching money politics and using taxpayers' money for generous subsidies, cheap healthcare and easy loans that have bought him loyalty from millions of working-class Thai voters in the north and north-east.

Voting in Thailand There are 49 million eligible voters for 375 constituencies

There are 49 million eligible voters for 375 constituencies Bangkok, dominated by the Democrat Party in the last election in 2011, has 33 constituencies

Bangkok, dominated by the Democrat Party in the last election in 2011, has 33 constituencies Out of 2.16 million people who registered for early voting on Jan 26, some 440,000 were unable to vote. They will have another chance on Feb 23

Out of 2.16 million people who registered for early voting on Jan 26, some 440,000 were unable to vote. They will have another chance on Feb 23 In the 2011 election, the Puea Thai Party won 265 seats while the Democrats won 159 seats

With broad support from Bangkok's middle class and tacit backing of the royalist establishment, old-money elite and military, the protesters reject the election and want to suspend democracy, replacing it with an appointed "people's council" to reform politics and erode Mr Thaksin's influence.

The latest round of tumult in the eight-year political conflict erupted in November and underscored Mr Thaksin's central role in the intractable struggle, both as hero and villain.

Ms Yingluck was largely tolerated by Mr Thaksin's opponents but her Puea Thai party miscalculated when it tried to introduce a blanket amnesty that would have nullified a graft conviction and allowed him to return home.

Many Thais see history repeating itself after a cycle of elections, protests and military or judicial interventions that have polarised the country and angered Mr Thaksin's "red shirt" supporters, who held crippling blockades in 2010 and have vowed to defend his sister from any overthrow attempt.

Thailand's military has remained neutral so far, but the judiciary has taken on an unusually large number of cases in the past two months in response to complaints against Ms Yingluck and Puea Thai that could result in the party's dissolution and lengthy bans for its top politicians.

There is also a chance the election could be annulled, as it was in 2006, over a technicality.

The election commission is braced for a deluge of complaints and challenges.

With no quorum to re-elect a prime minister, it looks likely Ms Yingluck could be a caretaker premier for months.

Even with a fresh mandate, a stalemate is almost certain, giving her opponents more time to intensify their campaign against her and for legal challenges to be lodged.

ABC/Reuters