Barkar Nash (Page 974)

BURI RAM: Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in his capacity as the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, said his party was likely to come in third in the race for House seats despite his stated hope for second place.

Speaking to reporters in the northeastern province, Mr Anutin said, “Earlier I thought Bhumjaithai would be in second position, but it is in third. I congratulate the leading parties, namely Move Forward and Pheu Thai.”

Mr Anutin said his party was likely to win more House seats and triumph in some provinces for the first time in Sunday’s general election. The party had hoped to represent a Bangkok constituency but that wish would not come true in this election, he said.

Mr Anutin did not divulge his thoughts about Bhumjaithai’s possible involvement in the formation of a new government, or whether his party would maintain its partnership with parties in the previous government.

He said he would rather wait for clearer results from the election.

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Bangkok voters flocked to polling stations during Sunday’s general election, with turnout exceeding that of the last election in 2019.

More than 72% of eligible voters in Bangkok cast their ballots on Sunday, said City Clerk Khajit Chatchavanit as he inspected polling stations in constituencies 1, 2 and 3 in Phra Nakhon district after voting ended at 5pm. 

Mr Khajit said unofficial results of the vote would be known at about 10pm after all 33 constituencies sent their results to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s coordinating centre. 

He thanked more than 100,000 BMA officials and staff for starting to perform their tasks at polling stations at 4am, and said everything had gone smoothly. He also thanked police for making it safe and convenient for people to exercise their right to vote.

The overall situation at Bangkok’s polling station was smooth, the City Clerk said. Out of 6,327 polling stations, only two polling stations in Huai Kwang and Min Buri districts had problems.

In Huai Kwang. there was an incident of a poll official tearing ballot papers. The case had been reported to Bangkok’s election committee and the Election Commission to decide.

In Min Buri, ballot papers were initially put in one ballot box, but were later put in two separate boxes for counting. If the number of ballot papers matched the number of voters, there would be no problem, said Mr Khajit.

Eligible voters who failed to cast their ballots with must give their reasons within May 21 by submitting letters with their ID numbers to district registrars, sending such letters by registered mail or explaining their reasons via the “Smart Vote’’ application or via the website.

If they failed to give reasons for not casting their ballots for the advance voting or for Sunday’s general election, they would lose certain priveleges such as the right to oppose the general election; the right to contest the general election, local-level or senate elections; and the right to run for sub-district chief, kamnan or phuyai ban (village chief).

Valid reasons for failing to vote include having to travel to remote areas, being unable to travel to polling stations due to sickness, disability or old age, being abroad, living more than 100km from their polling station or being assigned by a state agency to perform a task outside their constituency. 

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The Office of the Election Commission has invited members of the public to observe the live vote-counting process on the website www.ectreport.com.

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If you are unable to vote in the upcoming elections, you have three ways to report your inability:

1. Notify your local or district registrar.

2. Send a letter, which you can do by downloading a form from the Election Commission of Thailand’s website, and either send it yourself, have someone else submit it, or mail it.

3. Report through the stat.bora.dopa.go.th website or the Smart Vote app.

Remember, you can report your inability to vote from May 7th-13th, and May 15th-21st.

If you do not vote without providing a reason, you will face penalties for two years. These include being unable to apply for certain elected positions such as a Member of the House of Representatives, Senator, or village headman, as well as being unable to hold certain political civil servant positions.

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The 2023 General Election of Members of the House of Representatives: Vote Counting and Result Announcement Process

1) Polling Places consist of regular polling places, advance voting polling places in the constituencies, out of the constituencies, overseas voting and polling places for the disabled, or handicapped or the elderly (only in 21 provinces). 

2) Regular Polling Places (Sunday 14th May 2023) 

Counting starts right after 17.00 hrs without delay at such polling places.  

Vote counting results will be announced, as soon as the count is finished,  in the form of Sor.Sor. 5/18 (ส.ส. 5/18) which include the following details:   

• Number of eligible voters 
• Number of ballots received 
• Number of persons present to exercise the right to vote 
• Number of used ballots 
• Votes received by each candidate 
• Votes received by each party 
• Number of valid ballots 
• Number of invalid ballots 
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing anyone” box
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing any party” box
• Number of remaining ballot papers

3) Advance voting polling places: voting in the constituencies and polling places for the disabled, handicapped or the elderly (May 7, 2023) 

Votes will be counted on the same day as the regular polling places,on Sunday (May 14).

Counting starts right after 17.00 hrs (without delay) at the place designated by the Constituency’s Election Committee (at the Administrative Center of such constituency).

Vote counting results will be announced in the form of Sor.Sor. 5/16 (ส.ส. 5/16) which include the following details:

• Number of ballots received
• Votes received by each candidate 
• Votes received by each party 
• Number of valid ballots 
• Number of invalid ballots
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing anyone” box
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing any party” box 
• Number of remaining ballot papers

4) Advance voting polling places: voting out of the constituencies, overseas voting and voting places for the disabled, handicapped or the elderly (Sunday 7th March, for overseas voting, on the date set by the Ambassadors.) 

Votes will be counted on the same day as the regular polling places,on Sunday (May 14).

Counting starts right after 17.00 hrs (without delay) at the place designated by the Constituency’s Election Committee (at the Administrative Center of such constituency or other places if there are large numbers of registered voters)

Vote counting results will be announced in the form of Sor.Sor. 5/17 (ส.ส. 5/17) which include the following details:

• Number of ballots received
• Votes received by each candidate 
• Votes received by each party 
• Number of valid ballots 
• Number of invalid ballots
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing anyone” box
• Number of ballots marked in the “not electing any party” box 
• Number of remaining ballot papers

5) The Constituency’s Election Committee gathers vote counting results of the candidates in the constituency basis in 2, 3 and 4 at the Administrative Center of such constituency. When the vote aggregation is finished, the results will be announced immediately in descending order. The candidate who obtains the highest number of votes, provided it is higher than the number of votes cast for not electing anyone, shall be elected. The aggregated results will be displayed on a large billboard at the Administrative Center of such constituency.

6) The Constituency’s Election Committee gathers vote counting results of the candidates in the party-list system in Nos 2, 3 and 4 at the Administrative Center of such constituency. When the votes aggregation is finished, the results will be immediately announced in consecutive order of the party list. The said results will then be forwarded to the Office of the Election Commission, where the results from all 400 constituencies will be aggregated and the proportion of elected candidates of the party list calculated. The aggregated results of each constituency will be displayed on a large billboard at the Administrative Center.

7) Aggregated results of Nos 5 and 6 are expected to be publicly released around 18.30 hrs. 

The process of aggregation will proceed continuously. It is estimated that the final results will be known by 23.00 hrs on Sunday (May 14).

8) Security of Documents: an announcement of vote counting results of each polling station 

Vote counting results form shall be made in 3 copies. The first copy will be used for vote aggregation. The second copy will be posted in front of polling places for the benefit of the public. 

The third copy will be stored in the ballot boxes along with used ballots (ballot casts) and the tally mark form. Only the Election Commission has the power to decide on the opening of the ballot box.

9) Transparency of Documents: an announcement of vote counting results

The results announcement will be posted in front of each polling place and each vote counting place.

The said announcement will also be posted on all Provincial and Bangkok Election Commission Office websites within 5 days from the election date.

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Process leading up to the announcement of vote counting results and election personnel involved:

The vote count will proceed over the following five stages: 

1) The Polling Station Committees of regular polling stations and Vote Counting Committees of advance voting – both inside and outside each constituency – and polling stations for the disabled, handicapped and elderly.

2) The District Sub-Committees in 76 provinces and the Sub-Committee of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

3) The Constituency Election Committee in each of the 400 constituencies. 

4) The Provincial and Bangkok Offices of the Election Commission with the Director of the Provincial and Bangkok Office as head.

5) The Office of the Election Commission with the Secretary-General as head.

Election Results Announcement

The Election Commission will examine and make an announcement on the election results expeditiously. The announcement must be made not later than 60 days from the election date.

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The leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP) said on Sunday evening he expected to form a coalition government with the Pheu Thai Party, enabling the former opposition bloc to rise to power.

MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat said exit polls suggested that MFP and Pheu Thai could have enough House seats to form the next government.

“This is a positive sign,” he said. “It’s time for Thailand to change.”

Asked when he would discuss a possible coalition with Pheu Thai, Mr Pita said he expected a conversation to start at around 10 or 11pm.

“A collaboration of the (former) opposition parties is the perfect way to deal with the challenges the country faces. We will change Thailand together,” the MFP leader said.

In a message on the party’s Facebook page, Move Forward said: “Thank you for the trust that the people have given us today. From now on, the Move Forward Party will push forward progressive policies and build the Thailand that we dream of together, as quickly as possible.”

Harvard-educated Pita, 42, said the formation of a governing coalition would be subject to a memorandum of understanding and conditions.

He ruled out the possibility of forming a government with the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

However, the Move Forward leader did not exclude the possible participation in a coalition by the Bhumjaithai Party of Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin said on Sunday night that his party was the leader in the polls, not the MFP, and he was confident that the Thaksin-linked party would be the winner.

He said Mr Pita had not yet phoned Pheu Thai but when it was time to discuss partnerships, Pheu Thai would prioritse talks with parties with a similar political stance.

Mr Srettha also said he was disappointed with Pheu Thai’s performance in constituency elections in Bangkok.

MFP was likely to win the most House seats representing the capital.

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The leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP) said on Sunday evening he expected to form a coalition government with the Pheu Thai Party, enabling the former opposition bloc to rise to power.

MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat said exit polls suggested that MFP and Pheu Thai could have enough House seats to form the next government.

“This is a positive sign,” he said. “It’s time for Thailand to change.”

Asked when he would discuss a possible coalition with Pheu Thai, Mr Pita said he expected a conversation to start at around 10 or 11pm.

“A collaboration of the (former) opposition parties is the perfect way to deal with the challenges the country faces. We will change Thailand together,” the MFP leader said.

Harvard-educated Pita, 42, said the formation of a governing coalition would be subject to a memorandum of understanding and conditions.

He ruled out the possibility of forming a government with the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

However, the Move Forward leader did not exclude the possible participation in a coalition by the Bhumjaithai Party of Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

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Voting ended in Thailand’s national elections with a mix of pre- and post-election surveys showing pro-democracy parties leading in their efforts to replace a military-backed government that first took power in 2014.

A pre-election poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) showed the Pheu Thai party winning between 164 and 172 seats, the most of any party. The liberal Move Forward party came in second with between 80 and 88 seats, according to the Nida poll. 

While it’s still too soon to read into the results, they indicate that no one party would secure a majority of the 500 lower house seats up for grabs. The Nida survey also showed the centrist Bhumjaithai party – which emerged as a king-maker in the 2019 election – taking anywhere between 72 and 80 seats. The ruling military-backed Palang Pracharath party will get between 53 and 61 seats, the survey said. 

The Election Commission is expected to start releasing a partial count of ballots at 6.30pm. 

A separate exit poll by Nation Group showed the Pheu Thai party, linked to influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, garnering 32.6% of the constituency vote, while Move Forward had 29.4%, together giving them a slim majority if those results hold. Nation Group’s poll also shows similar results for the party-list votes.

This early, opposition leaders are confident they can tip the scale and wrest power from the military-backed coalition.

“Based on the numbers we’re seeing, Pheu Thai and Move Forward and other opposition parties can form a coalition government,” Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat said in a briefing after polls closed, clarifying that no coalition talks are happening yet. “The current opposition parties are the right answer for the people. We’ll stick to that message. There’s no need to include others.”

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter and Pheu Thai’s front-runner for prime minister, urged supporters to be patient and wait for the results. “I still have very high confidence in our victory,” she told reporters.

The Election Commission secretary-general told reporters earlier in the day that voting was proceeding smoothly, signalling no significant irregularities. Approximately 52 million Thais were eligible to vote, and more than 90% of about 2.3 million people who registered for early polling did so last week.

Even a landslide win for pro-democracy parties won’t guarantee a clear path to power: under a constitution promulgated in 2017, the 250 military-appointed senators get to vote alongside the 500 elected lower house members to decide on the next prime minister.

In addition, some of the top parties had multiple candidates for the job. The Election Commission may take up to two months to confirm the members of the lower house, according to the electoral rules. The joint houses will then convene to pick the country’s next leader.

A third survey by university Suan Dusit, taken before voting began, showed Pheu Thai winning as many as 246 seats, followed by Move Forward at 106.

Voters cast two ballots, one in the first-past-the-post race and the other for proportional party representation.

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Incidents of people tearing ballot papers were reported in several provinces, but violators – most elderly and with health issues – insisted they had no intention of destroying the ballot papers and acted out of misunderstanding.

The Royal Thai Police said on Sunday after the polls closed that the police’s election coordination centre had received a report that about 20 voters nationwide had torn up ballot papers.

In Songkhla’s Hat Yai, a 76-year-old retiree tore her green ballot,for the party-list system into two pieces because she did not see a purple ballot and thought only one was used.

The incident came to the election officials’ attention when the woman, who claimed to have a problem with her eyesight, brought the two pieces to officials to ask what to do next. She was handed over to police and faced a charge of violating the election law.

In Phuket’s Thalang district, a 77-year-old man tore his marked ballot papers because he thought he was supposed to. His relatives told police the man was being treated for ischemic stroke and had experienced some memory loss. 

He was initially charged with damaging the ballot and his family was told to bring proof of his illness to police and the provincial election office.

The northeastern province of Udon Thani reported two cases of ballot-paper tearing.

The first incident involved an 84-year-old man who tore the ballot paper for the party-list system at a polling station in Nong Wua So district.

The man, who reportedly had Alzheimer’s disease, told poll officials that he thought he had lost the purple ballot, so he tore the green ballot paper into two pieces so he had two separate ballots to drop into the two ballot boxes.

In Kut Chap district, a 61-year-old man tore a purple ballot paper out of frustration because he could not find the number he wanted to vote for. He walked up to poll officials for a new ballot and was told what he did was illegal.

The voter told police that he mixed up the constituency and party-list ballots and that he was unaware that tearing the ballot paper was against election laws.

Samut Prakan also reported two cases of ballot-paper tearing by an 87-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man at two voting stations. Both reportedly had Alzheimer’s disease and were found to have damaged the ballot papers unintentionally.

In Krabi’s Muang district, a 21-year-old man who claimed to be a first-time voter tore both ballot papers after marking them, dropped the parts that were marked in the ballot boxes and kept the rest. 

He told authorities that he tried to ask election officials what to do after marking the ballots but they did not hear him. He assumed he was supposed to tear the ballots and put the marked parts in the boxes.

In Phrae’s Sung Men district, election officials ruled as an accident a drunk 36-year-old voter who fell in a polling booth and damaged one of the ballot papers. The case was included in a police incident report.

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The Election Commission (EC) is now counting votes after the general election concluded at 5pm on Sunday.

As of 6.45pm, the Move Forward Party had taken the lead in both the constituency and party-list competitions, followed by the Pheu Thai Party and the Bhumjaithai Party.

The election results are still being tallied, and the unofficial results are expected to be available around 11pm, according to the EC.

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The Election Commission (EC) has begun counting votes after the general election concluded at 5pm on Sunday.

As of 8.21pm, the Move Forward Party had taken the lead in both the constituency and party-list races, followed by the Pheu Thai Party and the Bhumjaithai Party.

The votes were still being tallied, with unofficial results expected to be available around 11pm, according to the EC.

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