By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE CONSTITUTIONAL Court today (March 18) accepted a lawsuit filed in pursuit of judgment as to whether last month’s general election be declared null and void due to the questionable existence of barcodes and QR codes on voting ballots.
The nine Constitutional Court judges voted 6:3 to resolve to accept the lawsuit filed by the Office of the Ombudsman seeking a ruling as to whether the election for MPs be finally considered null and void, given the unbecoming use by the Election Commission of those barcodes and QR codes on the voting ballots for both party-listed and constituency-based modes.
The legal move on the part of the Office of the Ombudsman followed widespread criticism that those barcodes and QR codes printed on the voting ballots were electronically traceable at the cost of the voter’s secrecy, thus supposedly prompting the judges to consider ruling the nationwide race to parliament as null and void and consequently prompting the polling agency to hold a new election without such electronic apparatus.
In last month’s election, the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai, core of a potential government surreptitiously steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, scored an overwhelming victory with 192 of their contestants elected to the House of Representatives, compared to the reformist People’s with 120 MPs and the neo-conservative Pheu Thai with 74 MPs, among others.
If the general election was finally declared null and void at the order of the court, a newly-named prime minister and his Bhumjaithai-led coalition government would become automatically invalid and inoperative.
However, the House is scheduled for tomorrow (March 19) to name Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who concurrently acts as leader of the largest elected party for head of the post-election government with a combined force of 291 coalition MPs on their side.
CAPTIONS:
Top – Constitutional Court logo and a voting ballot for last month’s general election. Photo – Amarin TV
Front Page – Ballots with barcode and QR code printed on them. Thai News Pix published by BBC
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