Officials have said that political demonstrators stormed Thailand's Election Commission offices in Bangkok Monday in their ongoing protests against the government.

The Bangkok Post has reported that the election commissioners were not in the building when the so-called red-shirt demonstrators entered after commission Secretary-General Apichart Sukkhakanont failed to meet their deadline for meeting with them. The newspaper also said that the protesters later withdrew from the building when instructed to do so by their leaders.

The rallies by thousands of people, which started last week, have clogged traffic and forced many stores to close. The protesters are demanding that the commission speed up its decision in a campaign donation case involving the Democrat Party.

The group left the commission building after receiving assurances the results would be released April 20, more than a week earlier than planned, the New York Times has reported.

"The red-shirts want to follow up on the Democrat's donation case and would like the EC to dissolve the Democrat Party quickly, the same way it dissolved the People Power Party," Protest leader Kwanchai Praipana said.

The Democrat Party, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, is accused of receiving an illegal donation from TPI Polene, a company founded by Prachai Leophairatana. The complaint about the donation was lodged in March
2009.

The government's Internal Security Operations Command went to civil court Monday to seek an order that the red-shirt leaders leave the business and shopping districts. The Times said the court denied the request. (With Inputs from Agencies)