PUBLISHED: 2 Feb 2025 at 04: 00
The Election Commission (EC ) anticipates that voter turnout will exceed its target of 65 % for the national elections for Provincial Administrative Organization ( PAO ) members and presidents.
Following the expiration of their conditions on December 19 last month, the elections took place in 47 provinces, where both PAO leaders and people were elected.
In 29 different regions, voters elected just PAO people, as their PAO leaders had already been chosen in earlier votes after their forebears resigned.
Chiang Mai was anticipated to face fierce opposition between the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the opposition People’s Party ( PP ) among the 47 provinces tasked with choosing new PAO chiefs.
Ittiporn Boonpracong, the EC chairman, predicted that the voter turnout in Chiang Mai would surpass the 65 % target, with voter turnout in Chiang Mai likely to exceed 75 %, as he observed the polls.
The election process was closely monitored by a UK Embassy unusual minister in Muang area.
EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee, who monitored voting in Samut Prakan, reported no problems of election scam.
But, in Si Sa Ket, an old voting falsely tore a poll paper according to some kind of mistake, it was reported.
In the Northeastern state of Mukdahan, Vorayan Bunarat, the provincial government, said the regional elections there even ran easily, while the unofficial results of the surveys were expected by 8pm Saturday evening.
The EC’s 1444 Hotline, however, received close to a thousand names from 8am to 5pm from citizens who generally wanted to tell the election authority why they couldn’t go to the elections on Saturday, so they wouldn’t reduce their voting rights in coming as a result of them failing to show.
Reasons given to why they didn’t turn up for the polls on Saturday included not knowing where exactly their voting facilities because they had moved it from a different location less than a year earlier.
A total of 192 applicants contested for PAO main jobs, while 6, 815 applicants ran for PAO part jobs.
Available citizens numbered 47, 178, 655 individuals.
The unofficial effects of the PAO elections are scheduled to be released at 10pm next evening, with the elections opening on Saturday at 8am and closing at 5pm.