Uproar as EC found in error again 

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

 

Doubt rising over entire election: critics

 

THE ELECTION Commission (EC)’s credibility has come under scrutiny yet again after it announced incorrect results for a recount on Sunday in a Nakhon Pathom constituency, held to “correct” a tally that had been questioned. 

 

Observers and politicians voiced their concern at yet another gaffe, and urged the poll authority to reveal the March 24 results from every polling station and make them available online. 

 

This latest election mishap came after ballots in Nakhon Pathom were recounted on Sunday. The mistake came to light when Future Forward candidate Savika Limpasuwanna, after trailing behind Democrat Sinthop Kaewpichit by 147 votes in the first count, was found to be ahead of him by 62 votes in the second tally.

 

The Democrats immediately protested the announcement, arguing that total votes from over 240 polling stations in the constituency should have shown Sinthop winning by four votes. 

 

The EC yesterday admitted the Democrats were correct, and reasoned that the mistake had been made because the announcement was “unofficial”. As of yesterday, the poll authority had yet to issue the official recount results. 

 

The agency’s deputy secretary-general Sawang Boonmee said yesterday that the recount process had yet to be completed, adding that the candidates had already been invited to witness its problems.

 

Initially, Sawang said the inconsistencies may have occurred from officials entering inaccurate numbers. 

 

He later admitted that such repeated mistakes could shake the agency’s credibility, though he insisted that eventually, everything would be checked. He added that the ballots were stored safely in case a reason for rechecking or correcting the count arose. 

 

However, the incident has further eroded public trust in the agency after a series of similar irregularities. 

 

The public has been angered not only by the EC’s failure to provide a conclusive election result four weeks after voting, but also by mistakes that continue occurring, apparently due to poor administration. 

 

The Future Forward Party yesterday demanded that a new election be held in the Nakhon Pathom constituency due to the confusion and inconsistency in vote counts. 

 

“Such inconsistency makes it impossible to find a just conclusion to the election [here] or which count is correct,” the party’s statement read.

The party also cited a 20-second power cut during the recount on Sunday, as well as certain unspecified irregularities reported by observers, as reasons the EC should consider holding a re-election. 

 

‘Release all results’

 

Meanwhile, political observers said to avoid bankrupting its credibility altogether, the EC should release the election results from every polling station for public inspection.

 

In a Facebook post, political critic Sirote Klampaiboon said the incident in Nakhon Pathom could be the last straw, as this repeated inconsistency in tallies threatened to destroy the trustworthiness of the entire election.

 

The EC, he said, should publish the results on the internet for the public to check, adding that this was necessary to ensure the right candidates are placed in the House of Representatives. 

 

Similarly, pro-election activist Nuttaa Mahattana told The Nation that people have lost whatever trust they might have had in the EC with the latest irregularities. 

 

“It’s come to the point where people are questioning the ballot count nationwide. The numbers have been all over the place, and never seem to add up when recounted,” Nutta said. “Now, a lot of people are wondering if the same thing has happened in their constituency. The EC has to provide us with the raw data from each and every polling unit. This would protect the public interest.” 

 

Meanwhile, former EC commissioner Gothom Arya advised the agency to be humble, accept criticism and either improve or provide proper explanations.

 

The most important thing about an election is accuracy, he said, adding that the wide-scale public doubt should be cleared with a recount of votes.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368574

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-30

More uproars required. 

Action against this nonsense. 

Sad state of affairs when the Junta can't even get the election fix right ... what hope is there?

I think it would make a better, and more accurate, news article, if it is reported when the EC actually do something correct !

It really is a farce to beat all farces, but, hey, 'mai bpen rai', its only a General Election.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

credibility has come under scrutiny yet again after it announced incorrect results for a recount

as general thai competence goes, they did an average job; not unlike contractors who don't clean up after themselves

I think this independent body finds themselves permanently confused.

Farcical.

Didn't they brag the results would  be published five hours after the polls closed?

In a new announcement the government apologized for the repeated errors and confusion surrounding the election.

 

And stated that in order to avoid any repeat, there would be no further elections.

What credibility???

23 minutes ago, laocowboy2 said:

In a new announcement the government apologized for the repeated errors and confusion surrounding the election.

 

And stated that in order to avoid any repeat, there would be no further elections.

Please don't give them any idea. 

Very sorry for young voters in Thailand. They have no hope for any change for the better. Sad and depressing.

On 4/26/2019 at 11:20 AM, Johnny Rotten said:

It's a Joke. Where else in the world would you have to fill in all these forms and go though all the hoops?

 

22 hours ago, Cereal said:

Was the husband with her in England when she was murdered?

 

18 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

Quite.

 

 

But of course Brits. deciding to holiday outside the eu is always a good opportunity to 'bash' brexit in the minds of some people.....????

 

 

19 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

A slight majority % of those who voted wanted out over those who wanted in. 

 

But still Brexiters insist it was a once in a lifetime, never to be challenged, discussed or voted on ever again, decision. 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Correct, he did indeed. Sadly for him he had no authority to say that, he was prime minister, not a dictator who was going to rule for the rest of his life (Even Mugabe failed on that one). The referendum was advisory, we are a representative democracy, the ultimate power lies with MPs not the PM, as is currently being hammered home by recent events. Cameron was talking through his pompous Bullington Club posterior. Just like a fart, what he said should be ignored.

 

And this lot will go back to their 'civil service jobs' at the finish...yeah the country is in good hands...I don't think!

Edited April 30, 20197 yr by metisdead
Bold font removed.

The whole concept of taking two months to validate the election simple smells like week old fish sitting in a sauna.

 

 

Edited April 30, 20197 yr by connda

6 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

More uproars required. 

Action against this nonsense. 

Thai people are not supposed to think; Thai people are supposed to shut up and obey The Laws!  That's the message that is send out regularly by the junta leaders.  And when the election results are published, the Thai people will be told to shut up and accept the EC's published results.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

the incident has further eroded public trust in the agency

I don't think eroding is right, it's more about shifting the trust. I trust their inability to conduct any work related to elections.

Rearrange this well known phrase or saying: up, brewery, a, in piss, not, could,organise  

Thai EC, step one, open mouth and insert foot, step two, open mouth wider and insert second foot. 

11 hours ago, webfact said:

However, the incident has further eroded public trust in the agency after a series of similar irregularities. 

I doubt that anybody trust this agency as any of those self appointed govt members. 

The whole system is based on lies and corruption. As always since decades or even centuries 

In a Facebook post, political critic Sirote Klampaiboon said the incident in Nakhon Pathom could be the last straw, as this repeated inconsistency in tallies threatened to destroy the trustworthiness of the entire election.

 

The trustworthiness in this election went south when the rampant vote buying for 300b started the week before the vote???? 

The EC are so incompetent they are bordering on treason which still carries the death penalty in Thailand.

A troll post has been removed. 

 

Posts containing overly derogatory comments toward Thai people have been removed. 

Ooooh, uproar, was it 8 people in facebook this time?

How many mistakes need to be found before the EC is determined to be incompetent and the whole fiasco that was labeled an election is scrapped? 

I think the people counting the ballots for the EC must be the same ones who can't manage to figure the correct change at the store when I give them a 100 baht for a purchase, and expect to get the correct amount returned.