Thai Election Body Faces Local Protests, Online Calls for Nationwide Recount
SUPHANBURI, Feb 11 (TNA) - Thailand’s Election Commission faces mounting pressure as protesters gather in several provinces to demand local recounts over alleged irregularities, while the #RecountNationwide hashtag trends on social media to call for a full national recount.
The hashtag #RecountNationwide trended on social media following a tense standoff in Chonburi where hundreds of residents surrounded a truck transporting ballot boxes and camped out overnight since Monday to prevent their removal. They cite suspicious handling of the boxes and discarded vote-tally sheets found nearby.
Beyond the standoff in Chonburi, protests occurred in Suphan Buri late Tuesday, where hundreds of residents gathered at a provincial hall, citing evidence of suspicious official conduct. Local election authorities refused an immediate recount, stating they must first seek approval from the central EC in Bangkok. Protesters remained at the site overnight, guarding ballot boxes, with plans for a mass gathering on Wednesday afternoon.
In Chanthaburi, civic groups installed their own CCTV cameras at a ballot storage warehouse after questioning a significant delay in the arrival of ballot boxes from nearby districts. Activists noted that the transport of ballots from areas less than 100 km away took over two days to complete. They petitioned Chanthaburi’s election officials to demand a recount across all three districts.
A group of residents have called on the EC to disclose official documents and allow random audits, citing mathematical discrepancies in some vote tallies that suggest potential data-entry errors.
Discrepancies have also emerged in Si Sa Ket, where residents petitioned local officials for a fact-finding committee. Complainants cited mismatched voter turnout data and the presence of an unauthorized 'man in black' at a counting station shortly before results were finalized. In the province's 6th district, the Bhumjaithai candidate currently leads the Pheu Thai rival by a razor-thin margin of just 216 votes. -819 (TNA)
