Election commission sets up cyber threat surveillance centre to ensure transparency

The Election Commission (EC) has established a Cyber Threat Surveillance and Response Operations Centre to ensure transparency in elections, according to EC Secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee. This development comes in partnership with the National Cyber Security Agency, Office of the Personal Data Protection Commission, Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the Bureau of Registration Administration, and National Telecom Public Co Ltd.

Sawaeng, aged 58, acknowledged the errors in the advanced voting process that took place last Sunday and assured that measures are in place to prevent such mistakes from occurring on Election Day. “We will keep all ballots safe, and there will be no ballot rigging,” Sawaeng stated.

In response to a question from a Pheu Thai candidate regarding election observers, Sawaeng mentioned that the EC encourages collaboration from all sectors in observing the election. However, if parties wish to send their own observers, they must notify the EC within 15 days of the poll under Section 55 of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives. These observers will also be responsible for their own expenses.

Seats for election observers will be reserved at polling stations. Should parties fail to inform the EC in advance, their observers will be situated outside the polling stations. It should be noted that the EC previously aided in covering such expenses under rules established by the 1998 Organic Act on Political Parties, but this law was nullified under the 2007 constitution.

Directors in every province have been instructed by the EC to record events at polling stations from the commencement of voting at 8am until the final result is announced. The EC anticipates unofficial results to be available by around 11pm.

EC deputy secretary-general Suranee Pontawee, aged 56, stated that people can access www.ectreport.com for initial results, which are expected to appear around 7pm, or two hours after polling stations close.