EC insists on election date of February 8, regardless of border clashes intensifying
The Election Commission insists that the February 8 election will proceed as scheduled, even in provinces affected by ongoing border clashes, with plans for special polling arrangements for evacuees.
The secretary-general of the Election Commission’s Office insisted on Wednesday that the EC can manage elections in provinces bordering Cambodia despite ongoing clashes, meaning the election will not be postponed from its scheduled date of February 8.
EC Office Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee said elections in provinces bordering Cambodia could still proceed, even though around 400,000 people have been evacuated to shelters.
Sawaeng mentioned that he could not yet provide details on how polling stations would be organized for evacuees, as the EC had yet to consider the impact of martial law declared in the provinces and other security measures.
“Currently, we still need to assess the situation, but we will find solutions. We may bring voters to polling stations or bring polling stations to the voters,” Sawaeng said.
After the House of Representatives was dissolved on December 12, the EC resolved on Tuesday to hold the election on February 8. The EC’s schedule will take effect after the announcement is published in the Royal Gazette.
Sawaeng insisted that even if the border clashes escalated in the border provinces, the polling date would not be postponed, as the EC can manage the situation under special circumstances.
Sawaeng also added that the EC would check whether political parties had exaggerated their election platforms. He stated that the EC had issued a royal gazette announcement to empower it to verify whether the election policies of political parties were practical.
He further explained that the EC would seek help from experts from various government agencies to assist in verifying the policies.
