Protests have erupted in several provinces demanding a vote recount after several abnormalities in the voting process. Meanwhile, the hashtags #นับใหม่ทั้งประเทศ ("recount all vote") and #ชลบุรีเขต1 ("Chonburi Constituency 1") have been trending on Thai Twitter since yesterday (9 February) with netizens demanding a recount in every constituency to ensure transparency.
Pathum Thani, Constituency 7
On Sunday night (8 February), protesters, many of whom were students, gathered at the Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi to demand a recount. The University auditorium had been used as a polling station, and students said that polling officials did not allow them to observe the vote count. They also noticed that CCTV cameras in the auditorium were covered, raising concerns about election fraud.
After several hours of protest, the director of Pathum Thani’s Election Commission Office ordered a recount. However, as polling officials had all gone home, students volunteered to count the ballot.
The recount was completed at 9.00 on Monday (9 February). The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) later said that the result for the constituency did not change.
Chonburi, Constituency 1
Hundreds of protesters have been gathering at a badminton court in Muang Chonburi district, where the ballot boxes are being kept, since last night (9 February). They are calling for a recount after some abnormalities were reported. In some polling stations, there were more votes than the number of ballots. In others, polling officials continued to count votes despite a power outage, raising concerns about fraud because observers could not see the ballots as they were being counted. At the badminton court, it was also found that ballot boxes were not sealed properly, and ballot count sheets were found in the trash.
After several rounds of negotiations, the director of Chonburi election commission office and the district chief told protesters that they are not authorized to order a recount. The deputy secretary of the Election Commission, who travelled to Chonburi, also said the same, and that it is up to election commissioners in Bangkok to make the decision.
The ECT said today (10 February) that its Chonburi office has two days to gather evidence before it rules whether to order a recount. Protesters are still gathering at the badminton court and setting up shifts to guard the ballot boxes.
The Bhumjaithai candidate for the constituency, Suchart Chomklin, is leading People’s Party candidate Warot Sirirak by 3,783 votes.
Maha Sarakham, Constituency 1
On Monday evening (9 February), protesters gathered in front of the constituency 1 election commission office in Rajabhat Maha Sarakham University (RMU). Most were students from RMU and from the nearby Mahasarakham University. They demanded a recount after the display board showing the total vote count did not match the numbers from polling stations and showed signs of having been changed. Some ballot boxes were also not sealed properly.
The students also questioned where the ballot boxes were being kept after they were given conflicting information about the location of the boxes, raising concerns that the ballots could have been swapped.
Protesters were told the provincial election commission office could not order a recount and that they must wait for the ECT to make a decision.
Ubon Ratchathani, Constituency 6
On Monday night (9 February), protesters from three districts demanded that the ECT release the vote count, as it has been over 24 hours since the election and the total vote count has not been announced while the ballots have been moved to the local election commission office.
Chanthaburi
Protesters gathered at the provincial election commission office on Tuesday morning (10 February) to demand a recount. They said that the ECT’s result reporting dashboard showed a higher vote count than the number of valid ballots in Constituencies 1 and 2, and the number was later reduced so that the total is the same as the number of valid ballots, raising concerns about the counting process. The director of the provincial election commission office took their petition, but said that it will be up to the ECT whether to allow a recount.
Lampang
Social media users noted that there were an abnormally high number of invalid ballots in Constituency 2, so a group of people went to the provincial election commission office to demand a recount in Constituencies 2 and 4.
Meanwhile, a group of around 10 people from Mae Mo district in Constituency 2, along with a representative of the People’s Party, met with the director of the Lampang election commission office to demand a recount. The director insisted that the amount of invalid ballot was not very different from past elections, but that the protesters could file a petition with the ECT to call for a recount if they have evidence of fraud.
Bangkok
The student activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) called a protest in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) to demand that the ECT recount the vote in every constituency.
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