Thai court accepts petition challenging legality of election ballots
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The complaints alleged that barcodes and QR codes on the ballots could potentially be used to identify which candidate and party a voter had chosen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BANGKOK - Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepted a petition alleging that ballots cast in February’s election may be traceable, a case that questions the validity of the poll and could disrupt the formation of a new government.
The nine-member court voted six to three on March 18 to accept the plea by the country’s ombudsman, which was based on a batch of complaints following the Feb 8 election.
The court, which may take weeks to deliberate on the case, said the allegations raised a potential breach of the Constitution.
The benchmark Thai stock index pared its gain to 0.4 per cent after the decision, having risen as much as 1.4 per cent earlier.
The baht traded 0.4 per cent higher against the dollar.
The complainant wants the court to rule whether the use of bar and QR codes on ballot papers by the Election Commission had violated constitutional clauses on freedom of expression and elections, including the requirement that voting be conducted in a direct and secretive manner.
“The facts forming the basis of this case concern the conduct of the nationwide parliamentary elections, not just any specific constituency, individual, or case,” the court said in a statement. “The issue is of constitutionality.”
The court granted the eight-member Election Commission, its secretary-general, and its administration office 15 days to submit their responses to the allegations.
The complainant and the defendants are required to submit witnesses and evidence to the court within 15 days.
The court move came a day before Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is set to seek parliamentary endorsement to lead a new government after his conservative party scored a decisive win.
If the court rules that ballot secrecy was compromised, that could lead to the election results being nullified and necessitate a new vote.
The scrutiny comes at a critical juncture for Thailand, where the recent snap election was widely seen as a test of whether the country could break from nearly two decades of political turbulence marked by coups and court-ordered party dissolutions.
Mr Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party emerged as the single-largest party, winning 192 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives on a campaign that promised stability and defence of the nation’s sovereignty against neighbour Cambodia.
It marked the first big victory for a conservative party in decades. BLOOMBERG
