Parties seek fresh polls and recounting of votes

[webfact]

Parties seek fresh polls and recounting of votes

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

file photo

 

SAY DISCREPANCIES GO FAR BEYOND THE EIGHT POLLING STATIONS IDENTIFIED BY EC 

 

POLITICAL PARTIES yesterday called on the Election Commission (EC) to reveal each polling station’s ballot count and hold new elections or re-count ballots in more than just the eight centres where it claims to have found discrepancies. 

 

Pheu Thai Party MP candidate for Samut Prakan province, Chatchai na Bangchang, filed a complaint with the EC yesterday, calling on the agency to re-count the ballots as well as investigate the conduct of local election referees. 

 

Several irregularities have been reported, he said, adding that in some stations there was an inconsistency in the numbers even after the ballots were counted twice, while referees in other polling stations refused to let observers in. 

 

Mahachon Party’s Palinee Ngamprink, a transgender MP better known as Pauline, filed a similar petition yesterday, calling on the EC to disclose the election results in detail. 

 

She emphasised that according to unofficial results announced the day after the election, her party had won more than 390,000 votes, but later the EC claimed Mahachon Party had only won some 17,000 votes. 

 

Future Forward Party also yesterday called on the EC to reveal the results of the more than 92,000 polling stations nationwide to ensure transparency. 

The party said its members had tried contacting individual polling stations for results, but they were turned away by officials who said the information was confidential. 

 

The EC commissioners had on Wednesday decided that ballots would be recounted in two polling stations, while re-election will be held in six others.

 

Major discrepancies in ballots cast and voter turnout were reported in 10 polling stations, but EC deputy secretary-general Sawang Boonmee said yesterday that the case had already been settled in four of them. 

 

The two polling stations where the ballots will be recounted are in Khon Kaen province. Sawang said the number of ballots counted, the voter turnout and the number of ballots cast did not tally. Such inconsistencies could mean some ballots have either gone missing or have been taken out of the polling stations, a phenomenon that the EC has been referring to as “skippy ballots”. 

 

The six polling stations where a by-election will be held are in Lampang, Yasothon, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok and Bangkok provinces. The EC official explained that a re-election was required because the number of voters and ballots used were inconsistent and officials were unable to identify the cause. 

 

“The MP election law states that the EC can order a re-count or a re-election if there is proof showing the election in that constituency was unfair or the counting was incorrect,” Sawang said. 

 

The candidates in the constituencies requiring a new election will remain the same, he said, adding that they can campaign for votes but the budget will be reduced in line with the law. 

 

In Bangkok, the station that will require a by-election is in Bang Kapi district, where several parties have demanded a re-count or re-election due to massive irregularities. 

 

Future Forward Party, which was also one of the complainants, remained dissatisfied, saying a re-election in one area will not make much difference to the election result of an entire constituency. Irregularities have been reported in many polling stations in the Bang Kapi constituency, the party said. 

 

As for the four polling stations that will face no action despite discrepancies, the EC official said this was because the electoral officials were able to explain what had happened. 

 

He said that in most cases, voters had torn up their ballots after marking the wrong box and were not aware that this was unlawful. In one case, he said, a voter had mistakenly put a copy of his ID card on an A4 sheet of paper in the ballot box and taken the ballot home. 

 

The referees found the copy of the voter’s ID card while counting the ballots and were able to track down the voter. They discovered the ballot paper in the voter’s car and charged him with illegally taking the ballot out of the polling station.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30367174

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-05

[neeray]

What a total abortion this election has become. Yes, that election where they said something like "they didn't need outside help or observers" (definitely not a verbatim quote).

 

It's high time to abort the baby and try again (the junta baby). With these finagled results, millions will never accept the outcome. There will be no peace.

 

Nice try guys but you couldn't even pull off a rigged election. How can you ever be trusted to guide this country forward for the next 20 years?

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Several irregularities have been reported, he said, adding that in some stations there was an inconsistency in the numbers even after the ballots were counted twice, while referees in other polling stations refused to let observers in. 

factoring in thai competence, the result is still a go

[Sticky Wicket]

As expected the dimwits in green aren't very good at cheating.

They are just a blunt instrument used to barking out orders and being obeyed.

Like using a butcher to perform open heart surgery

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

--+

.+As expected the dimwits in green aren't very good at cheating.

They are just a blunt instrument used to barking out orders and being obeyed.

Like using a butcher to perform open heart surgery

Can you recommend a good one?

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by metisdead
Please do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes or wording.

[Lungstib]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Major discrepancies

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

due to massive irregularities. 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the electoral officials were able to explain what had happened. 

 

 

The sum total of 5 years stealthy undermining of good values and democratic rules to achieve a farce of an election which no-one accepts the results of. The military doing what it does best, making a mess of it. 

[Thechook]

3 hours ago, neeray said:

What a total abortion this election has become. Yes, that election where they said something like "they didn't need outside help or observers" (definitely not a verbatim quote).

 

It's high time to abort the baby and try again (the junta baby). With these finagled results, millions will never accept the outcome. There will be no peace.

 

Nice try guys but you couldn't even pull off a rigged election. How can you ever be trusted to guide this country forward for the next 20 years?

You beat me to it

[sammieuk1]

Skippy ballots, boomerang voters, recounts, revote, irregularities, vote buying, missing votes, phantom votes, more ballot papers than voters, New Zealand votes '

 

  As for the four polling stations that will face no action despite discrepancies, the EC official said this was because the electoral officials were able to explain what had happened.  Your all in the army now????

 

[bluesofa]

My wife has just been telling me about comments on some of the Thai forums about the election.

 

One wit has suggested that next election the EC should separate the votes of male and females into two boxes.

Why? In order to stop them procreating, as has clearly happened this time.

[Emdog]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

As expected the dimwits in green aren't very good at cheating.

They are just a blunt instrument used to barking out orders and being obeyed.

Like using a butcher to perform open heart surgery

I beg to differ. They are very good at garden variety cheating. Elections are uncharted territory for them. Beginners mistakes

[BestB]

I am willing to bet some deals are being made behind the curtains . What kind of deals and in whose favor is yet to be seen.

[sammieuk1]

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

My wife has just been telling me about comments on some of the Thai forums about the election.

 

One wit has suggested that next election the EC should separate the votes of male and females into two boxes.

Why? In order to stop them procreating, as has clearly happened this time.

Unfortunately though a great idea impregnation from assorted donations would appear to be the root cause ????

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Lungstib said:

 

 

 

The sum total of 5 years stealthy undermining of good values and democratic rules to achieve a farce of an election which no-one accepts the results of. The military doing what it does best, making a mess of it. 

Where anarchy reigns the military retain the upper hand! 

[MaxLee]

6 hours ago, neeray said:

What a total abortion this election has become. Yes, that election where they said something like "they didn't need outside help or observers" (definitely not a verbatim quote).

 

It's high time to abort the baby and try again (the junta baby). With these finagled results, millions will never accept the outcome. There will be no peace.

 

Nice try guys but you couldn't even pull off a rigged election. How can you ever be trusted to guide this country forward for the next 20 years?

with Article section 44

[raccos21]

Obviously the game is not dirty but the players are playing dirty game like “one bad fish can spoil the whole pond” Since our modern world with media technology, people have become far more aware which they can predict the future.So don’t assume a wipe out, to happen. It’s always been unclean.

[Caldera]

5 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

As expected the dimwits in green aren't very good at cheating.

True, but if they get away with it, that they didn't even do a good job at cheating makes it all the more sad.

[Baerboxer]

Every time PTP lost a by-electon, the BKK governor election etc they demand a re-vote, a re-count and spread crap about their opponents and sued anyone who commented about them.

 

So, unfortunately when someone constantly cries wolf, no one listens. 

 

And let's not pretend they'd do every trick in the book to "win" to.

 

The whole lot's a croc.

[Chrisdoc]

True, but if they get away with it, that they didn't even do a good job at cheating makes it all the more sad.

Cambodian dictatorship did a much better job. Banned the opposition parties, threw the leaders in jail and blatantly congratulated themselves for winning 100% of the vote. The effort in Thailand is amateurish in comparison.

Sent from my Nokia 2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jimbo2014]

Wow i bet just 100 seats seemed pretty easy to fix on paper since its only about 20% of the available.  People must really want a change if that didnt come through with all the fudging.

[poskat]

very common in the USA for heavily Democratic precincts to report more votes for the Dem candidate than the number of registered voters in the precinct

[sjaak327]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Future Forward Party also yesterday called on the EC to reveal the results of the more than 92,000 polling stations nationwide to ensure transparency. 

The party said its members had tried contacting individual polling stations for results, but they were turned away by officials who said the information was confidential. 

This must be a joke right ? How can democratic election results be confidential, the whole point is transparancy here. 

[sjaak327]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Every time PTP lost a by-electon, the BKK governor election etc they demand a re-vote, a re-count and spread crap about their opponents and sued anyone who commented about them.

 

So, unfortunately when someone constantly cries wolf, no one listens. 

 

And let's not pretend they'd do every trick in the book to "win" to.

 

The whole lot's a croc.

Except this time it's not just PTP, if you have read the article, you would have seen the demands for recounts, and transparancy is across the board. It might have something to do with the way the elections were prepared, executed and the whole set of rules that are employed to try and give the Junta an unfair advantage. 

 

To be honest, your postings are more and more looking like postings from someone paid to spread disinformation. It won't work, the Junta is toast, they never intended this to be a free and fair election, and this thread and many others are living proof. 

[Eric Loh]

It was reported in Channelnewsasia that up to 66 seats in the constituency system are under investigation and could be disqualified, in a move that could shift yet-to-be release final results. These are seats that have the candidates won the highest votes and are now in doubt. The whole goal post may be shift by the time dust settled. Something smell real bad like a dying 'democracy'.