A HUGE NUMBER of voters yesterday turned out to exercise their rights at advance voting polling stations across the country.

Long queues of people defied the afternoon heat to vote in the country’s first election in eight years.

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday estimated at least 75 per cent of the voters who had registered for advance voting turned up to cast their ballots.

EC deputy secretary-general Nat Laosisawakul said the agency was satisfied with the overall conduct of voting yesterday, although it admitted there had been errors in ballots in some areas. The EC also assured that the ballot boxes would be safe under the protection of police.

The ballots cast yesterday would be kept at the Thailand Post Office in Bangkok’s Laksi district, not far from the EC office, he said. After being sorted, the ballots would be sent to their home constituencies and locked up in cells at local police stations, waiting to be counted along with other ballots after the final leg of voting on March 24, Nat explained.

The logistics involved a lot of people, Nat warned, adding that those with any intention of tampering with the ballots to think twice or they could end up in jail. Observers believed the enthusiasm of the masses was because the country had not held an election for nearly a decade and also because only 395 central polling stations were available yesterday across the country for the 2.6 million early bird voters. Over 93,000 stations would be in service for the actual election next week, when 51 million voters will be eligible to cast their votes.

Thailand’s last successful election took place in July 2010, won by the Pheu Thai Party which went on to form a coalition government.

An election was called by the Pheu Thai-led government on February 2, 2014 after the dissolution of Parliament but it was disrupted due to political turmoil and impeded by anti-government protesters. After much confusion, the Constitutional Court then ruled that the voting was legally invalid.

The five provinces with the most number of advance voter registrations were Bangkok (928,789), Chon Buri (221,541), Samut Prakan (212,914), Pathum Thani (134,783) and Nonthaburi (97,321).

The polling stations in these provinces were packed with voters all day and all those who arrived before the 5pm closing time were allowed to cast their ballots.

Besides the long queues, the crowds, and the heat, a number of early-bird voters also complained of serious issues such as getting the wrong ballot. EC president Ittiporn Boonpracong admitted yesterday that such mistakes had happened. He said voters should insist on getting the right ballot otherwise their vote would be deemed spoiled next week.

Some voters took to social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to warn others about the errors.

A Twitter user @JaruwanPumz advised in a tweet yesterday that voters must make sure the constituency number in the queue card matches their home constituency.

She said she was given the wrong ballot, and when she raised the |matter the authority at the station told her to “just mark one”. Left with no other option in the polling booth, she had to mark the wrong ballot for the party she supported.

The Twitter user, however, said she later brought it to the attention of the authorities and an EC official ensured the mistake was not repeated in the cases of other voters. Her marked ballot, however, was deemed spoiled, she said.

“I woke up early in the morning for this after having waited for four or five years just to see my first [ballot] become voided,” she tweeted. “I walked off the polling station, almost crying. But I told them it’s okay at least they get it right for other voters.”

A few other people also reported online about the same mistake, including how the authority had neglected to correct the mistake and told them to just mark the ballot.

The lack of platform policies and public statements suggests an uncaring attitude to the challenges encountered by young people, the agencies say, noting the lack of policies on threats from drugs and ignorance about sex.

“Apparently their policies do not focus on solving children/youth’s problems,” about 30 NGOs chorused in a joint statement.

Released by groups that have worked for children and youth causes, the statement has raised concerns that political officeholders will largely ignore youngsters post-election.

“Only five parties have mentioned policies related to children or youth. And these policies do not cover youngsters who are outside the official education sector at all,” Wanchai Poonchuay said late last week.

He said a huge number of Thai youths were out of school and they must not be ignored.

“Leaving them out in the cold will only widen inequalities in the country,” he said.

Suranart Paenprasert, a core member of the network, noted that campaigning parties have tended to focus on welfare, cash handouts or educational excellence.

“Not a single party has paid attention to problems surrounding children and youths. These problems occur in surroundings created by adults,” he complained.

Every year, more than 30,000 offenders under 18 are sent to juvenile correctional facilities because of crimes committed, more than half being drug-related offences.

“It should also be noted that nearly 10,000 students drop out of school each year,” Suranart added.

His network emphasised that the dropout rate was related to the rate of crime among minors.

Suranart said 2,510 youngsters are also killed in accidents each year, on top of those crippled or maimed.

“Records also show that 3.6 million children and youths are gamblers. Of these, over 400,000 are addicted to gambling,” he pointed out.

He said news reports suggest that most sexual-assault victims are ages five to 20.

“More than half of sexual offenders are family members or other people in the victims’ close circle,” he noted.

Thai children are growing up in an unsafe environment, the network said.

“And now we have cyber-bullying on the scene as well,” Suranart said.

Sonthi Kotchawat

Sonthi Kotchawat, an independent expert on environmental health, said yesterday the parties’ policies cover only some environmental issues and fail to address others.

“I’ve heard only a few parties presenting clear environmental policies. The rest don’t really have any policies on the environment,” he said.

Some candidates have cited the need to create more green spaces or encourage motorists to switch to electric vehicles, he said, but many other environmental issues are going unmentioned.

“And the policies we’re hearing aren’t sufficiently inclusive or good enough to properly solve the problems,” Sonthi noted.

“Cleaner fuels and electric cars would improve the haze problem in Bangkok, for instance, but what about the smog elsewhere? How do the parties plan to control outdoor burning and trans-boundary haze in sustainable ways?”

Sonthi urged the parties to share their stances on managing forestland and other natural resources. He would like to see clear, fair and sustainable regulations for preserving natural resources.

Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit

Seub Nakhasathien Foundation deputy chairman Dr Rungsrit Kanjanavanit commented on the larger number of parties with environmental issues in their campaigns compared to past elections. But many important issues are still absent from mainstream campaigning, he said, such as sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and public participation in the management of natural resources.

“I would like the parties to be more focused on creating a mechanism for advancing the country on the path of sustainable development, because we’re facing more and more-serious environmental problems nowadays,” Rungsrit said.

“I also would like to see the next administration have policies that prioritise protecting us from pollution. The present authorities are failing to deal properly with problems such as the recurring PM2.5 crisis in the North and are thus putting public health and safety in danger.”

He said the parties should also present policies that could be realistically implemented. Only that would ensure the problems are ultimately resolved.

Next Sunday will be a crucial day for Thailand, as voters cast their ballot to decide on the country’s future.

But what happens after the ballot boxes are closed remains uncertain. Will this election end a decade-long political conflict, or will it just create a new round of battles?

With voting just a week away, observers and political scientists The Nation spoke to believe that the most likely scenario after the poll is that General Prayut Chan-o-cha will return as prime minister, thanks mainly to support from Phalang Pracharat Party and its allies.

Based on this scenario, Uttama Savanayana’s Phalang Pracharat along with its allies – Ruam Palang Prachachat Thai Party of Suthep Thaugsuban and the People Reform Party of Paiboon Nititawan, plus the 250 new senators – will most certainly vote for Prayut as prime minister.

With the advantage accorded by the current charter – which allows the new Senate, handpicked by the National Council of Peace and Order, to vote for the next PM – it will not be difficult for Prayut to secure the post, said Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University.

But for him to sail through, his camp must secure at least 126 seats in addition to the 250 senators to win the required 376 votes, Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist from King Prajadhipok’s Institute, said.

Prayut securing the PM’s position will also be key to attracting other parties to join them as coalition partners, he added.

The academics all agree that Prayut and his allies can easily win backing from the three medium-sized parties, namely Bhumjaithai, Chartthaipattana and Chart Pattana, as well as the Democrat Party.

In this scenario, Stithorn estimates this camp will have obtained about 270 seats or more than half of the 500 seats in Parliament, which is enough to form a secure government.

The number could vary, with 220 seats to Phalang Pracharat, its allies and the Democrats, plus 50 seats from the three medium parties.

However, this scenario will only materialise if Phalang Pracharat wins more seats than the Democrats, or becomes the second largest party after Pheu Thai, Stithorn said.

Yet they believe the likelihood is that the pro-junta party will win more seats than the Democrats due to certain factors such as the new electoral system.

Titipol said that according to his observation, Phalang Pracharat’s popularity is rising in the provinces because voters are satisfied with the welfare cards the government has given to low-income earners.

“Also, the party’s political discourse – ‘maintaining peace and order’ – is working well,” he added.

Though Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva reiterated last week that he would not support Prayut’s return as premier, many see this as just a political ploy to win younger voters.

The Democrats have in the past proved that they are willing to compromise with the military, so if the party were to be offered key ministerial posts now in exchange for backing Phalang Pracharat, why will they not do it? Titipol asked.

However, Stithorn said the Democrats may also want to be the second biggest winner, so they can have the legitimacy to become a core party to form the government in coalition with other medium parties, as well as Phalang Pracharat, Stithorn said.

For this scenario to materialise, the number of votes by which the Democrats win will have to be a fair bit higher than the votes won by Phalang Pracharat, he added.

Odds against Pheu Thais

Will Pheu Thai be able form a government?

Yes, say the observers, but they see this is as the least possible scenario.

For this formula to materialise, the Thaksin Shinawatra-backed party and allies namely – Future Forward, Seri Ruam Thai, Puea Chat and Prachachart – must secure at least 250 seats, Stithorn said.

However, Pheu Thai and its allies can only be expected to garner 220 to 230 seats at most, or 120 or 160 directly from Pheu Thai and 60 to 70 from allies. This, according to Stithorn, will not be enough to form a government.

For a party or coalition to form a government, it needs more than 270 seats in hand for the sake of stability, said Yuthaporn Issarachai, a political scientist from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

Like Stithorn, Yuthaporn believes Pheu Thai and its allies will get less than 200 seats, so they need to rely on the three medium parties – Bhumjaithai, Chartthaipattana and Chart Pattana – for support.

Hence, Yuthaporn said, these three parties – who are expected to win around 50 seats altogether – will play a vital role in deciding whether Phalang Pracharat or Pheu Thai form the next government.

However, all the academics agree that there is only a slim possibility of a government being jointly formed by Pheu Thai and the Democrats, as they will need at least 376 seats to fight against the 250 senators when it comes to voting for a PM.

Also, Yuthaporn said, there is no law setting a timeframe for the new government to take office. So, if the two camps fail to come to a decision on forming the new administration, Prayut can continue holding on to his job as premier under the current government, he said.

As they say, Thai politics is not one plus one equals two and any unexpect can happen.

There is also a clear possibility of a political deadlock if people do not accept the election results or if a new government cannot be formed.

“If that happens, then these elections will have failed to ease the conflicts and instead created a new, more complex conflict,” Yuthaporn warned.

The Election Commission organised advance voting for March 17 to facilitate citizens unable to participate next weekend.

Despite summertime temperatures, the advance voters queued in the sunshine at many of the 395 polling stations nationwide.

In Bangkok’s Dusit district, several hundred enlisted soldiers were among those queuing at a polling station at Sukhothai School.

Assigned to security duties on Election Day next weekend, they were making their choices early.

Traffic was more congested than usual in several areas of Bangkok as citizens left their homes to vote.

Advance polling runs from 8am to 5pm at the 395 designated stations.

More than 2.6 million of 51 million eligible voters have registered to vote outside their home constituencies.

Those who registered for early voting but fail to turn up will be ineligible to vote on Election Day.

Advance ballots will be sorted in Bangkok and within two days be sent to the voters’ home constituencies to be tabulated along with ballots cast on March 24.

Advanced voting is usually a tepid affair, but on Sunday excitement was high as voters turned up in droves to polling stations.

More than 2.3 million Thais are expected to vote before the official March 24 poll date.

Since a 2014 coup ousted then-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, the junta has repeatedly postponed democratic elections — much to the chagrin of the Thai public.

“I finally have a chance to cast my vote as I’ve waited for so long,” said 48-year-old Paka Kaengkhiew as she stood in line in front of Bangkok’s Phra Khanong district office.

In Dusit district — home to military offices and government buildings — voters crowded in a school yard before a polling station there opened.

People dressed in their work clothes — military uniforms, hospital scrubs and more casual attire — waited patiently to cast their ballot, aided by student helpers.

At 9 am Prem Tinsulanonda, the powerful head of the Privy Council — the advisory board to Thai King Maha Vajialongkon — arrived at the school.

Watched by Thai and international media, the 98-year-old was pushed in a wheelchair into a classroom boasting a portrait of the late King Bhumibol, who he advised, before walking the final steps to a polling booth.

More than 51 million Thais are eligible to vote in the official March 24 election, which will be held under a new military-scripted constitution.

Analysts say the new electoral system favours the army-aligned party fronted by junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who is running to be civilian prime minister after a government is formed.

But voters on Sunday still held on to hopes for change.

“I vote today in the hope for better change,” said Mart Bupa, 53.

The former premier arrived in a wheelchair at the polling station at Sukhothai School on Sukhothai Road in Dusit district.

Wearing an oxygen tube in his nostrils, he waved and smiled to reporters but made no remarks. He was able to stand long enough to drop his ballot in the box.

It was the first time Prem, who turned 98 last August, had appeared in public after reportedly being hospitalised.

He has remained a powerful figure in politics, with active politicians of most parties regarding his birthdays as occasions for a requisite visit to show respect.

Violations of the ban are punishable by imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to Bt10,000.

The restriction is imposed in Thailand’s elections to prevent electoral fraud such as vote-buying or bribery. It is believed that canvassers often try to bribe voters using a variety of tactics, including by throwing parties the night before the poll in order to attract votes.

Police deputy spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen yesterday warned all sectors to take care they did not violate electoral laws. Any wrongdoing can be reported around the clock to hotlines 191, 1599 or 1422 and press 2.

The deputy spokesman also said the police were well prepared for advance voting on Sunday as well as for the March 24 election.

Police will ensure security at polling stations, as well as manage road traffic to help voters exercise their rights, Kritsana said.

Police officers will also be on standby to deal with any irregularities during the election, he said. This includes actions on social networking websites that may violate electoral laws, propagate false information, incite hatred or defame election rivals, Kritsana said.

The advance voting will run from 8am to 5pm on Sunday in designated polling stations. Over 2.6 million of the over 51 million eligible voters have registered to vote outside their home constituencies in Thailand.

Those who have registered for early voting but fail to turn up on Sunday will not be eligible to exercise their right on the official election day next week.

The EC also advised those voting on Sunday to ensure they get the numbers of their favoured candidates right. The numbers must be based on their home constituencies, not the constituencies in which they had registered to cast their ballot.

According to the EC, all the advance-voting ballots for all 350 constituencies will be collected and stored in Bangkok before being sorted within two days. They would then be sent to their home constituencies to be counted along with the ballots cast on March 24.

The sorted ballots would be kept at Bangkok’s police stations before being driven to their rightful constituencies by 300 trucks provided by Thailand Post. A surveillance camera will be placed in each truck and a police car will accompany it on the journey.

All ballots will also have special tags and documents accompanying them, the EC said. Anyone with missing tags would be deemed spoiled in order to prevent any fraud, the EC added.