Vote recount calls grow in Thailand amid claims of election irregularities

Allegations of irregularities in Thailand’s election – including vote-buying, uncounted ballots and tallies greater than the names on electoral lists – have gathered momentum, increasing the pressure on polling authorities to hold recounts. Protests across the country have been aimed squarely at the Election Commission (EC). While any potential recounts are unlikely to change the overall result of Sunday’s election, they threaten to slow the formation of a new government. Sunday’s vote saw Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, score an unexpected victory for his conservative bloc, with the EC giving his party 193 seats. On Wednesday, Anutin, who is caretaker prime minister until his new government is sworn in, indicated he would hold off picking junior coalition partners “until at the very least that the EC says the count is 100 per cent complete … I want to see the clear number of seats first”. The reformist People’s Party, pre-poll favourites to win the most seats, trailed on 118, according to the EC tracker with 94 per cent of votes tallied. The numbers remain unofficial and have not moved since Monday as chaos engulfs the authority. In a social media post, the People’s Party has called for a recount in 18 constituencies, most of them where it came a close second, citing “clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process”, including vote-buying and tampering. “While the party can accept a loss, they cannot accept an election that is not free and fair,” it said. Complaints had been filed in Chonburi, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Suphan Buri, with more expected, it added. Hundreds of voters have camped out at a gym since Monday in Chonburi constituency 1 in eastern Thailand, refusing to allow ballot boxes to be taken away by the EC until it explains why signed tally lists with the People’s Party marked as the winner were found in the bin. Ballot boxes were also left unsealed, the protesters alleged. The win was instead given to Bhumjaithai’s Suchart Chomklin, a divisive former deputy prime minister allied with a local political family (or baan yai). As his victory was announced late on Sunday, Suchart goaded the People’s Party by eating slices of orange – the reformists’ colour – as their vote share withered nationwide. The count station has been besieged since. The EC says it is looking into all complaints and has blamed human error for some of the lapses. Under Thai election law, the EC has 60 days to certify results, according to Ken Lohatepanont, a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Michigan. “So technically speaking there is still a lot of time for these doubts to be resolved.” But student protesters still gathered outside the EC headquarters in Bangkok on Wednesday morning, calling for immediate transparency. “If the authorities won’t do their job, we will do it ourselves,” Noppasin Treelayapewat, a young pro-democracy protester, told the crowd through a microphone. “We are opening a complaint centre right here and we’re in this for the long haul. To everyone finishing work … come and join us.” Stability promise As the complaints rumble across the country, calls have got louder from across the political spectrum to redo the entire election count. Arch-conservative politician Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, leader of the United Thai Nation party founded by former general Prayuth Chan-ocha, has called for a “nationwide recount”. “It is the EC’s duty to take urgent action,” he said in a social media post late on Tuesday. “If the EC remains idle and fails to exercise its authority, it may be held liable for dereliction of duty.” Questions have also been raised over the high number of discounted ballots – about 2.8 million or 8 per cent of the total votes cast were deemed to have been spoiled by the EC. Sunday’s election was also the lowest voter turnout in decades at about 34.6 million, or just over 65 per cent of eligible voters, the election authority said. The election was called to cut through Thailand’s years of political deadlock that has started to toxify its economy. The World Bank on Wednesday said growth could come in at 1.6 per cent this year, nearly four times slower than rival Vietnam. Any delays in stitching together a strong coalition may frighten investors, ratings agency Fitch has warned. In September, Fitch said steepling government debt and slowing growth could lead to a ratings downgrade. “Bhumjaithai’s electoral gains, and enough seats for potential partners, could support a durable coalition and reduce the risk of post-election disruption,” it said in a note on Tuesday. “A durable coalition would determine whether Thailand can structurally reduce political uncertainty and, in turn, deliver more predictable medium-term economic and fiscal policy,” it added, but warned that “Thailand has a long history of political instability”.

Vote recount calls grow in Thailand amid claims of election irregularities

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The People’s Party, among others, cites ‘clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process’, including vote-buying and tampering

The People’s Party, among others, cites ‘clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process’, including vote-buying and tampering