Bangkok: Pheu Thai has urged the Election Commission to expedite its investigation into issues surrounding advance voting outside the constituencies, citing several points of confusion and error. They emphasized the need for improvements before February 8th to restore confidence in the election process.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Suksit Srijomkwan, spokesperson for the Pheu Thai Party and a candidate for the party's proportional representation seat, held a press conference regarding the observation of advance voting at polling stations outside the constituencies on February 1st. He stated that the Pheu Thai Party sent observers to monitor the performance of the polling station committees and the voting process in 16 provinces and 26 constituencies. These areas were selected specifically because the number of registered advance voters exceeded 50% of the number in the 2023 election.

Based on observations, the party believes that the Election Commission (EC) should urgently investigate, clarify the facts, and make improvements to prevent potential problems in the actual election on February 8, 2026.

Firstly, it was found that a large number of people cast their votes in advance outside their registered district, but still within the same province, compared to some provinces that are susceptible to vote buying at the local level.

Secondly, inconsistencies were found in the posting of election notices at central polling stations. Some locations separated the lists of candidates for constituency and party-list ballots, while others combined them into a single post. This caused confusion for voters and may have affected their ability to remember the candidate numbers for constituency elections.

Thirdly, it was discovered that several central polling stations did not post the complete list of candidates (Form 4/14). For example, the name of Mr. Surachart Chanpradit, a Pheu Thai Party candidate for Member of Parliament in Sisaket Province, Constituency 2, was missing from the Form 4/14 announcement at the central polling station in Nakhon Pathom Province, Constituency 5.

Fourthly, errors were found in the addressing of the envelopes using form S.S. 5/2, particularly in filling in the electoral district code. Officials at different polling stations had differing understandings; some believed the first two digits were the province code and the last two digits were the district code, while others entered the district code incorrectly or did not enter it at all. This raised concerns that ballots might not be sent to the correct polling stations.

Finally, it was observed that voting at central polling stations increases the likelihood of voters being transported by vehicles, an act that may violate election laws.

'The Pheu Thai Party urges the Election Commission to urgently investigate the facts and implement preventive measures to address the discovered irregularities in order to restore confidence in the election process and protect the will of the people in a fair and just manner,' said the Pheu Thai Party spokesperson.