Thai Parliament to open amid scrutiny over election ballots

BANGKOK – Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn is to open Parliament on March 14, even as the February general election result faces court scrutiny over barcodes on the ballots that may have violated the law.

The barcodes might undermine the secrecy of the ballot, said the country’s Office of the Ombudsman, which petitioned the Constitutional Court to consider the case.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party won a clear victory in the Feb 8 election, but the ombudsman said late on March 13 that there had been 21 complaints from the public that barcodes and QR codes on the ballots could potentially be used to identify which party or candidate a voter had chosen.

The court annulled a 2006 election on the grounds that the voting process had not been conducted in secret.

The Election Commission has said the barcodes were included for security purposes and that identifying a voter would require access to the upper half of the ballots, which were securely stored.

Bhumjaithai, which won at least 191 seats in the 500-member Parliament, has said it will form a ruling coalition with the third-place Pheu Thai Party and several smaller groups, giving the alliance more than 290 seats and raising the prospect of a stable government after years of political volatility.

Lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene on March 15 to endorse a new House Speaker and two deputy speakers.

Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Zaram, a veteran Bhumjaithai politician, told reporters on March 12 that the party had nominated him for the Speaker’s post. The new Speaker is expected to schedule a parliamentary session to vote in the Prime Minister.

Bhumjaithai deputy leader Siripong Angkasakulkiat told Reuters the vote for prime minister will likely take place on March 19. REUTERS