Complaints filed on vote buying during advance voting

COMPLAINTS have reached the Election Commission office this morning (May 8) about alleged vote buying, deceptive campaign promises, destruction of campaign posters and election officials not being neutral during advance voting yesterday, Matichon newspaper said.

However, the polling agency’s Secretary-General Mr. Sawang Boonmee said advance voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. was lively nationwide with people queuing up to cast their ballots before the polling stations opened.

There were altogether 447 polling stations outside the constituencies and 422 within them with 2,235,830 people having registered to vote in advance.

Regarding an error at a polling station in Nonthaburi where the envelopes of first 100 ballots had postal instead of electoral provincial code printed on them with the constituency number too wrongly printed as 4 instead of 2, Sawang said this would not affect the general election as the ballots would be sent to their correct destinations.

An investigation is underway to find out whether this was an unintentional mistake or not, he said, while confirming this slip-up would not be repeated on election day, next Sunday May 14, 2023.

However netizens continued to comment on this error on various social media platforms.

In Nakhon Ratchasima Pol. Lt. Col. Akaraphong Wannapong, Move Forward constituency-mode candidate in constituency 4, had notified the provincial party office that the notice on party-listed candidates posted in front polling station number 12 in Sung Noen subdistrict, Sung Noen district, had disappeared.

However Pol. Lt. Col. Rapeepong Chirapattanalak, the provincial Election Commission chief, said this station was not opened for early voting and correction had been made. He added that this area was hit by strong summer storms and officials had been ordered to double-check the preparations.

Meanwhile Move Forward’s candidate in Surin’s constituency 4 posted a message on Facebook alleging that there were signs of ambiguity and inaccuracies at an advance polling station located in Phanthong Sapha Chanupatham School.

CAPTIONS:

People waiting to cast their ballots in Nakhon Phanom province, above, and a man voting early yesterday, Front Page.

Insert: Election Commission Secretary-General Mr. Sawang Boonmee. All photos: Matichon

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