Chon Buri voters stage overnight protest and demand vote recount
A group of voters in Chon Buri province staged an overnight protest at a polling station in District 1 after raising concerns over alleged election corruption, prompting calls for an immediate recount.
The protest took place at the District 1 polling station, located inside a badminton court in the Bang Pa Soi sub-district of Mueang district, Chon Buri. A number of voters chose to remain at the station after polls closed to observe the counting of ballots.
Following the initial count, Suchart Chomklin of the Bhumjaithai Party was unofficially declared the winner. The runner-up position went to Warot Sirirak of the People’s Party. According to a report by Channel 7, Suchart secured 43,703 votes, while Warot received 39,920 votes.
After the announcement, Suchart drew criticism by eating an orange in front of the media, a gesture widely interpreted as mocking the People’s Party, which uses orange as its party colour.
Tensions escalated shortly afterwards when some voters questioned the handling of ballot boxes. Protesters claimed the boxes were not stored in a secure, tightly sealed manner and lacked cable ties, which are required under Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) regulations. They also alleged that the boxes were missing the official signatures of the polling station director.
Voters demanded an immediate recount, but polling officers declined, stating that authorisation from the provincial election commission and the ECT was required. Officers also claimed that cable ties were unavailable. However, protesters later reported finding unused packs of cable ties within the polling station.
Further suspicion arose when voters claimed they discovered a vote tally document in a rubbish bin indicating the People’s Party candidate had received more votes than the Bhumjaithai candidate.
As mistrust grew, protesters surrounded the truck used to transport ballot boxes, physically blocking officials from removing them from the site.
The Director of the Chon Buri Provincial Election Office later arrived and urged calm, asking voters to wait for formal approval for a recount. Protesters refused, citing fears that ballots could be tampered with if moved.
The protest continued overnight from yesterday, February 9, into the morning of today, February 10, with demonstrators remaining at the station while awaiting an Election Commission of Thailand meeting scheduled for 10am.
Food and drinks were distributed to protesters with support from Thai event organiser Yutthana Boonrom and several public figures, including Itkron Pungkiatrussamee, Phitchaya Thippala, and Phiravich Auttachitsataporn.
App-based food delivery riders and local food vendors also joined in supporting protesters, offering free meals as the group vowed to remain on site until transparency was ensured.
The issue and protest in Chon Buri led the hashtag #นับใหม่ทั้งประเทศ (meaning recount nationawide) and #ชลบุรีเขต1 (meaning Chon Buri District 1) to the top of X platform in Thailand. The situation at the polling station is under the public interest.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
