BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s election authority pushed back after a private business group reported that vote-buying ahead of upcoming polls had reached new levels, with payments allegedly rising to 7,500 baht per voter.
Business group alarm over alleged payouts
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) drew attention with an internal survey suggesting an intensification of vote-buying. The cited figure of 7,500 baht per person, roughly 185 euros, was described as an estimate. Election Commission (EC) secretary-general Sawang Boonmee responded promptly to the claims.
“The Election Commission must respond to such information.”
said Sawang, adding that the focus was on prevention and deterrence.
Election Commission questions figures
Sawang acknowledged that the EC’s own intelligence units had information on irregularities but not on specific sums. He said the amount mentioned by the business group could be a rough estimate or an academic opinion.
“Regardless of that, it should not happen,”
said Sawang firmly, stressing it was the duty of the EC to ensure such practices did not influence the election result.
Rapid-response teams and risk zones
As a concrete measure, the commission deployed rapid-response teams to areas classified by risk level.
“We are deploying rapid-response teams in areas we have categorized – whether red, yellow or white,”
said Sawang, outlining the strategy.
High-risk ‘red’ areas across all regions
Asked where most of these “red” high-risk areas were located, Sawang replied that they existed in every region of the country. The classification depended on the level of competition in each constituency, with intensity indicating how fiercely contested an area was rather than the likelihood of violence.
“Anyone can commit offences – candidates themselves, members of the public or even EC staff,”
warned Sawang, saying this must be prevented because it would render the election result unacceptable.
Call for a clean and accepted vote
Sawang confirmed reports that he had urged EC staff in an internal messaging group to act against vote-buying.
“I wanted an election that is accepted, takes place in a positive atmosphere and is based on clean votes,”
he explained, adding that clean votes reflected the quality of the election.
The commission aimed for two main outcomes: high voter turnout, which it expected, and ballots cast on the basis of policies, not other incentives. Sawang reiterated that the EC wanted an election accepted by the public that could serve as a starting point for the country’s development.
Trust in the democratic process under strain
The current allegations posed a challenge to public trust in the electoral process. The swift reaction by the authorities was intended to dispel doubts and reinforce confidence in the upcoming polls. Whether the deployed teams would be able to curb the alleged practices was expected to become clear during the peak of the election campaign.