Election Commission receives 113 complaints, vote-buying tops list, vows swift action on all cases
The Election Commission says it has received 113 election-related complaints since February 8, with vote-buying the most common allegation, and promises strict, fast enforcement while fixing reporting system issues.
Pol Capt Chanin Noilek, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Election Commission, said on Monday that the EC had received 113 complaints related to the election since yesterday (February 8). He said vote-buying was the most frequently alleged offence, and that 107 cases had already been formally accepted for investigation, spanning multiple areas.
Chanin said all incidents—whether linked to election administration, damaged or torn ballot papers, arrests of suspects, or technical errors in election reporting—would be handled decisively. He said the EC had instructed officials to take firm action in every case, while also reviewing systemic issues as lessons for improvements. “Every matter will be dealt with strictly, continuously and swiftly,” he said.
He also said objections to election results can be filed up to 30 days after the official results are announced.
Responding to criticism that vote-buying allegations have surfaced widely online, with video clips circulating and claims that “everyone knows except the EC”, Chanin insisted investigations are ongoing. “Some cases have already been acted on, and others are being pursued. Don’t worry—we keep tracking them and we won’t let go,” he said.
Pol Maj Nattawat Sangiamsak, another deputy secretary-general, said the Big Data Institute had fixed technical problems overnight in the system used to report unofficial results for the House election and the referendum. He said about 94% of results had now been uploaded, noting that the law requires reporting not to exceed 95%. After hearing from the media that some figures might still be incorrect, the EC asked the institute to carry out further checks.
Nattawat said provincial EC offices are now having returning officers in all 400 constituencies compile official results. Once completed, official count results and original documents will be sent to the central EC office, at which point the official outcome will be confirmed. He added that the EC will publish key documents the public can verify—polling-station-level result reports—on the EC website so the public can check accuracy.
