ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia

Thailand’s Constitutional Court Dismisses Petition Seeking Annulment of General Election

The petition concerned the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers, which some claimed could breach constitutional requirements for secret voting.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday dismissed a petition challenging the legality of the last general election, ​ruling that the ballot papers used did not undermine the confidentiality of the vote.

The ruling came in response to 22 complaints about the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers in the February 8 election, which some claimed could breach constitutional requirements for secret voting, the Bangkok Post reported.

Nearly 38 ‌million Thais voted in the election, which was won decisively by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party. Bhumjaithai emerged from the polls with 192 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, and later formed a coalition government with a host of other parties, including the once-powerful Pheu Thai party (74 seats). The opposition People’s Party won 120 seats.

However, in the aftermath of the election, a host of complaints were submitted to the Election Commission (EC) for its adjudication, including complaints of alleged vote-buying, uncounted ballots, and other irregularities. While these were dismissed, it took the complaints about the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots, which were ostensibly intended to counter fraud, more seriously.

In March, the Office of the Ombudsman ruled that there were sufficient grounds to question whether the EC and its leadership had acted in a way that contravened constitutional protections about voter confidentiality. If the Constitutional Court ruled that that the secrecy of the vote was compromised by the use of barcodes and QR codes, it had the power to annul the result of the election.

However, in its ruling yesterday, the Bangkok Post reported,........

© The Diplomat