Result of Bangkok by-election due before 10pm today
Voting got underway in Bangkok’s Constituency 9 by-election on Sunday, with the result due to be announced before 10pm.
The by-election is being held after the constituency’s previous MP, Sira Jenjaka of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, was disqualified from office over a property fraud case in 1995.
Constituency 9 covers Lak Si and part of Chatuchak district in the north of the capital.
A total of 280 polling stations – 122 stations in Lak Si and 158 in Chatuchak – will be open from 8am to 5pm, according to Bangkok election office director Samran Tanpanich.
He said citizens could exercise their voting rights with confidence, since all polling stations were equipped with temperature screening, hand-sanitising gel and face masks. He urged them to maintain social distancing and be patient while waiting to vote.
Samran said there had been no reports of voting fraud so far, adding that Election Commission (EC) officials are monitoring the vote closely.
He expects voter turnout to be higher than 60 per cent.
Voters unsure about which polling stations to use can contact the EC’s hotline at 1444, Lak Si and Chatuchak district coordination centres, or the "Smart Vote" app, he added.