Bangkok: Dr. Jetsada Tonawanik, the Rak Chart Party's prime ministerial candidate, has called on the Election Commission to urgently address significant system failures that have surfaced during the recent advance voting, as public confidence in the electoral process continues to wane.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Jetsada highlighted numerous errors committed by the Election Commission, which he believes are damaging public trust and threatening to destabilize the country's political structure. He stressed that the mistakes were not targeted at any particular party but were systemic issues affecting all political entities. Dr. Jetsada criticized the mismanagement of voting procedures, such as improper labeling and the mishandling of voter numbers on envelopes, which contributed to widespread confusion.
The situation was further exacerbated by an incident in Nakhon Si Thammarat, where voter registration lists were unlawfully seized, raising questions about the security measures in place during the election process. Dr. Jetsada expressed concern over the absence of election inspectors and warned that continued negligence by the election commissioners could lead to a loss of public trust in both the electoral process and political parties.
Dr. Jetsada also voiced concerns about the financial implications of the commission's repeated errors, arguing that taxpayer money was being wasted due to the mismanagement of the election process. He emphasized that the national budget, funded by citizens' taxes, was being squandered as a result of the commission's failures, rendering the ballot papers ineffective.
In addition, Dr. Jetsada criticized the Election Commission's handling of the upcoming referendum on February 8th, describing the preparatory documents and questions as unclear and potentially leading to unnecessary expenditure on multiple referenda. He questioned the rationale behind such expenditures when constitutional amendments could be handled section by section and urged transparency in communication with the public.
Dr. Jetsada concluded by urging the Election Commission to take immediate corrective action to ensure a successful election and to avoid further divisiveness and financial waste, emphasizing the importance of maintaining public trust in the electoral process.