Chiang Mai: The chairman of the Election Commission has disclosed that the number of municipal election petitions has seen a reduction compared to 2021. The Chiang Mai Election Commission has officially taken up the investigation of a case involving notebooks containing cheat sheets allegedly used for distributing money during elections. He also noted that there are currently no petitions for the election in Constituency 8, Nakhon Si Thammarat, suggesting that evidence collection may be underway. Should the election be deemed honest, the results could be announced within a 60-day timeframe.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Ittiporn Boonprakong, Chairman of the Election Commission, addressed the corruption complaints concerning municipal elections, specifically mentioning the incident in Chiang Mai Province involving the money-giving cheat sheets. The Election Commission Office in Chiang Mai has formally accepted the evidence and initiated an investigation process.
In other provinces, the data remains aggregated rather than separated by region. As of today, there are 182 petitions alleging violations of election law, a significant decrease from the 1,742 petitions recorded in 2021. Petitions can be submitted in accordance with legal regulations from now until 30 days post-election results announcement.
Mr. Itthiporn emphasized the hope for a continued decline in petition numbers, citing previous elections as examples where petitions decreased post-election. He mentioned that in the provincial administrative organization election on February 1, 2020, the number of petitions dropped from around 700 to 500 after the election. He expressed optimism that this trend will persist.
Regarding potential intensification due to political movements, Mr. Itthiporn stated that efforts to prevent and suppress election violations are ongoing, with cooperation from provincial police commanders and various sectors. Public participation is also encouraged to help combat corruption.
Concerning the by-election in Constituency 8, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Mr. Itthiporn commented on the lack of petitions despite allegations of vote buying. He acknowledged hearing about these allegations but confirmed that no petitions have been filed yet, indicating that evidence collection might still be in progress. The election results announcement will adhere to Section 127 of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of Parliament, ensuring that results are declared only when the election is determined to be honest and lawful, within a maximum of 60 days.