Lampang: The Election Commission Chairman revealed that all provinces are ready to hold the Provincial Administrative Organization elections. Mr. Ittiporn Boonprakong, Chairman of the Election Commission, stated that preparations for the upcoming mayoral and council elections on February 1 are complete across the nation. He expressed optimism that the number of complaints would not match the levels seen in 2020. Furthermore, the Maha Sarakham Election Commission is currently probing an incident involving the throwing of bags at a Pheu Thai stage.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Boonprakong has personally visited several provinces, including Udon Thani, Loei, Chanthaburi, Trat, Chiang Mai, and most recently, Lampang, to monitor election readiness. He observed that the provinces are well-prepared, with Lampang reporting only five complaints compared to nine during the last election. The Chairman hopes that awareness among candidates and voters will result in fewer violations and complaints than the 718 recorded in the 2020 Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) elections. Efforts by all parties involved aim to reduce complaint numbers significantly.
Current petitions involve offenses outlined in Section 65 of the Local Elections Act, with vote buying being the most prevalent complaint. The Election Commission has implemented measures such as appointing election inspectors, deploying mobile units, and establishing vote-free zones in villages to combat this issue. The commission encourages those with information on corruption to come forward, offering witness protection and rewards up to 1 million baht for useful information. Despite ongoing efforts, gathering evidence of vote-buying remains challenging, but the commission is determined to pursue punishment for offenders.
The Election Commission is also investigating an incident in Maha Sarakham Province, where a woman reportedly threw a bag onto the stage at a Pheu Thai Party campaign event because she did not receive a promised 200 baht. Mr. Boonprakong assured that an intelligence operation team is monitoring the situation, and the central office is receiving regular updates from the Maha Sarakham EC office on the matter.