Bangkok: The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has clarified the inclusion of a "no comment" option in the recent referendum voting process as being in accordance with legal stipulations. This explanation comes after the referendum held on February 8th, which posed the question, "Do you agree that a new constitution is necessary?"

According to Thai News Agency, the ECT stated that the announcement of the referendum results adhered to the Referendum Act B.E. 2564 (2021) and its amendments, which outline different criteria and procedures compared to the 2016 referendum. The recent referendum presented voters with three options on the ballot: Agree, Disagree, and No Comment, unlike the 2016 referendum that lacked the "no comment" option.

The ECT emphasized that the results reporting included details on eligible voters, ballots cast, and votes for each option, including "no comment" and invalid ballots. As dictated by Section 68 of the Referendum Act B.E. 2564 (2021), the results must be published in the Royal Gazette and communicated to the Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament. The ECT Office affirmed the legality and transparency of the process in announcing the referendum results to the public.