Thai candidates lodge fresh complaints over ‘election irregularities’

BANGKOK: Several anti-military candidates in Thailand lodged fresh complaints with the Election Commission yesterday over bungled tallies and alleged votebuying following a controversial ballot that has left politics in the junta-ruled kingdom in limbo.

A military-backed party and its main rival led by an exiled billionaire have both claimed the right to lead the government in the wake of Sunday’s polls, with official final tallies delayed for weeks. Candidates from at least two parties issued complaints with the commission yesterday over alleged irregularities they claim could skew final vote counts.

A member of the anti-junta Future Forward party accused the pro-military Phalang Pracharat of currying favour among local officials by gifting them cash and gifts.

“It’s against the law, it can be seen as vote-buying,” said Future Forward spokeswoman Pannika Wanich.

Another Future Forward candidate reported voter intimidation inside a Bangkok polling station.

“There was a military officer standing inside the polling station to see whether military officials have voted for the party he wanted,” candidate Chris Potranan said in a complaint filed Friday.

A member of the anti-junta Pheu Thai party also lodged objections over allegedly dodgy counts in his Bangkok constituency.

“Our observers at polling stations reported inaccuracies in tallies as counting was conducted in a dark area,” Pheu Thai candidate Trirat Sirichantharopas said.

The Election Commission has received more than 180 complaints so far.

On Thursday the commission unexpectedly released the latest popular vote tallies, before quickly taking them down and re-posting revised numbers.

The tally showed more than 2.1 million invalidated votes, but election officials did not respond to questions about the ballots.

The regional election monitor ANFREL said the haphazard release of the results “reflects poorly” on the commission.

“Many voters may never see this election as a legitimate expression of the people’s will,” said ANFREL’s programme officer Amael Vier.

A campaign calling for the commission to be dissolved gathered steam yesterday, with 20,000 supporters needed to officially submit a petition requesting the body be impeached.

“The Election Commission has failed to perform its duty,” said the student activist behind the movement, Tanawat Wongchai.

Some 1,000 people had backed the petition as of Friday afternoon, he said.

The junta-backed Phalang Pracharat party, whose prime ministerial candidate is 2014 coup leader Prayut Chan- O- Cha, clinched the majority of popular votes in Sunday’s polls.

In second place was its main rival Pheu Thai, the party linked to self- exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. His sister, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted in the 2014 putsch and also lives in exile.

With parliamentary seats yet to be confirmed, both parties have claimed the right to govern. — AFP