Unofficial results are expected to be released no later than 10pm, five hours after the polls close on Election Day on May 14, according to the Election Commission.
EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said yesterday initial results of the nationwide constituency vote count are likely to start at 7pm after the polls close at 5pm. From then on, the count will be continually updated every half an hour, and the EC expects the final results to be rounded off at 10pm.
Mr Sawaeng provided the information at a workshop organised to familiarise the media with legal and practical aspects of the upcoming general election in Bangkok. He said the media are essential in distributing poll-related information to people far and wide. They also help educate voters about the EC’s roles and duties and monitor the polls for fairness and transparency.
The EC secretary-general noted that some inaccurate and potentially confusing information about the election had been circulated in the public domain, but it did not come from the news media.
He said the EC has had to spend much time clarifying whether false information had been spread deliberately.
On Election Day, the commission will not use an application to report results or updates of the vote count, as any wrong numbers uploaded on the app may not be promptly corrected.
But, he said that the EC’s reporting of the vote count would be faster than in previous elections and that the necessary system for data compilation is now ready.
Also, Mr Sawaeng said it was not legal to print the logo of each party on ballots for easy identification by voters, as some have suggested. He added voters could also mix up logos.
The constituency MP candidacy numbers also vary from constituency to constituency as this was a decision reached by lawmakers. The EC, therefore, is powerless to do anything about it, he said.