EC thanks voters; PAO election results in 30 days if fair

Following the closure of polling stations for Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) chairman and council member elections in 47 provinces nationwide after 5pm, Sawang Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission of Thailand (EC), expressed gratitude to eligible voters for exercising their rights. 

He also thanked business operators for supporting their employees in casting their votes.

Sawang stated that the overall election process proceeded smoothly. However, there were six cases of voters tearing ballots. The EC has reported these incidents to the police, who will conduct further investigations in accordance with legal procedures.

The EC will conduct an initial review of the election results. If any polling station is found to be fair and lawful, the results will be announced within 30 days. However, if issues are found, the EC can extend the announcement period to 60 days. 

For PAO council constituencies with only one candidate, that candidate must receive more votes than the “no vote” option and secure over 10% of eligible voters' support in that constituency.

In this PAO council election, there is one constituency without a candidate, as the applicant lacked the required qualifications. A new election will be announced for this constituency.

The EC Secretary-General also reminded that eligible voters who did not vote on February 1st must report their reason for not voting. Otherwise, they will lose certain rights. They can report until February 8th at district or local registration offices, the EC website, or via the Smart Vote application.

Regarding reports of a PAO council candidate in Phichit province being abducted, the EC Secretary-General stated that the claim is false. The Phichit Election Commission office dispatched officials to investigate at the candidate’s residence and confirmed that the incident did not occur as reported.

As for the case in Bueng Kan province, where 300 ballots were reported missing, it was clarified that the polling station in Mueang Bueng Kan district had 630 eligible voters but initially received only 360 ballots due to a numerical mix-up. Election officials have since collected the additional ballots, with proper documentation recorded as evidence, verifying the reason behind the missing and newly issued ballots.

(2025/02/01-00:00)