Election Commission set to nullify Pathum Thani PAO results

The Election Commission (EC) has annulled the results of Pathum Thani Provincial Administrative Organisation election and ordered a new one, a source of the commission said on Tuesday. The source said the EC should announce the date of the election soon.

Pathum Thani residents voted for their PAO’s CEO on June 30, and Pheu Thai’s candidate Charn Puangphet was unofficially declared the winner. He had garnered slightly more votes than the incumbent Khamronwit Thoopkrachang.

The election results have not been endorsed by the EC yet, and the source believes the commission will give Charn a yellow card instead. The yellow card means Charn can contest in the new election.

The source said that the election commissioners believe that Charn violated the election law, which prohibits the throwing of parties or entertainment activities for voters.

This was in response to a complaint filed with the EC, which claimed that Charn had violated the election law by hosting a party for voters.

The complainant cited an event in which Pheu Thai patriarch, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, had urged voters to choose Charn. Thaksin at the time was presiding over a celebration marking the ordination of a Buddhist monk.

A Nation reporter called Charn at about 3.20pm and he said he had not yet been told about the annulment.

A total of 949,421 Pathum Thani residents were eligible to cast votes in the PAO election, though the voter turnout was just 472,536. Charn garnered 203,032 votes, while Khamronwit trailed slightly with 202,212 votes.

Political observers believe that even if Charn is declared winner, he will be immediately suspended from duty because he is facing a corruption charge related to the procurement of bags of necessities by the Pathum Thani PAO in 2012 when he was CEO.

The Council of State has earlier said that Charn would have to be suspended if declared winner.