BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Election Commission ordered multiple recounts and a new vote in one province after serious discrepancies in ballot figures delayed certification of the February 8 parliamentary poll.
Recount in Bangkok and Seven Other Locations
The Election Commission (EC) ordered a recount of ballots from the constitutional referendum at polling station No. 10 in Kannayao subdistrict in Bangkok’s Kannayao district, scheduled to begin there on 22 February at 10 a.m. The agency also directed that party-list ballots from the 8 February election be recounted at seven additional locations across four provinces, according to a late-night announcement.
New Vote in Phayao Still Awaiting Details
In the northern province of Phayao, the commission ordered a complete new vote for both constituency and party-list MPs at polling station No. 6 in Tha Wang Thong subdistrict of Constituency 1 in Muang district. The EC said it would announce the time and exact locations for this rerun and the remaining party-list recounts at a later date.
Wave of Complaints and Legal Challenges
The EC faced a surge of complaints over its conduct of the election, and initial legal cases seeking to annul the results nationwide had already been filed. Voters and political parties reported thousands of incidents across the country, including mishandling of ballots and ballot boxes, discrepancies in counts and online updates, and alleged misconduct by polling staff.
Certification Stalled as Results Freeze at 94%
Many polling stations reported mismatches between the number of ballots cast and the number of registered voters, which held up formal certification of the results. The unofficial count had been frozen at 94 percent of votes since the day after the election, while at least 95 percent must be tallied before the outcomes can be confirmed.
66,000-Ballot Gap Exposes System Questions
Data on the EC’s unofficial results website showed a difference of more than 66,000 votes between the total number of ballots cast for constituency seats and the number cast for party-list seats nationwide. Under the current system, every voter received two ballots at the same time, one for the local constituency and one for the party list, raising fundamental questions about the accuracy of the count.
Barcode Controversy and Secret Ballot Concerns
Numerous individuals and organisations criticised the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers as a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to a secret and non-traceable vote. The Election Commission acknowledged that, in theory, ballot papers could be linked to individual voters using serial numbers and barcodes, but stressed that this information would be treated as strictly confidential and not used for tracking.
“Trust has been shaken – the question now is whether recounts and new ballots will be enough to restore confidence or whether the electoral system needs far-reaching reform.”
said no specific commentator was identified in the source text, according to the article’s concluding analysis.