'No vote’ wins, new local Songkhla election ordered

A new election will be held for president of the Tha Chamuang Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Ratthaphum district, Songkhla province, after the number of voters choosing the “no vote” option exceeded votes for the candidate.

Election Commission Secretary-General Sawang Boonmee said unofficial results showed that 6,598 voters selected the “do not wish to vote for any candidate” option, while the sole remaining candidate received only 2,913 votes.

Under election law, when “no vote” ballots outnumber votes for candidates, the election result is invalid and a new election must be organized.

The situation arose after one of the original candidates, Phayom Sangthong, was shot dead in late December, leaving only one candidate in the race, Hum Khunsetkua.

The death was suspected to be politically motivated.

Sawang said the result reflected the power of the people and the principles of democracy. “A new election must be held, and the previous candidate will not be eligible to run again,” he said.

The date of the new election will be proposed by the Songkhla Provincial Election Commission and submitted to the central Election Commission for approval.

Sawang also revealed that Subdistrict Administrative Organization elections held nationwide yesterday recorded 19 cases in 14 provinces in which voters tore ballot papers.

Although some cases may have been accidental, legal action must still be taken, he said. There were also incidents of voters taking photographs of their ballots, which is prohibited under election law because voting must remain secret.

In another case, a Buddhist monk was mistakenly allowed to vote due to confusion among polling officials, despite monks being ineligible to vote.

To prevent similar incidents during the upcoming national elections, the Election Commission will conduct rehearsals and simulation exercises at polling stations on January 15, and has invited the media to observe and help inform the public.