BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Unofficial results after all the votes have been counted are likely to be known by 10pm on May 14, the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday (April 10).
EC secretary-general Sawang Boonmee (pic) made the statement during a training course the agency was holding for members of the press on reporting the general election results.
The training was held on Monday at TK Palace Hotel in Bangkok to ensure accuracy in reporting, as well as to enhance cooperation among government agencies and the media in publicising the correct voting procedures to voters before the election date.
Thai voters will elect 400 constituency MPs and 100 party-list MPs on May 14, paving the way for the formation of a new government. Advance voting in Thailand will be held on May 7.
Sawang urged the press to double-check their sources and study election-related laws thoroughly before making any important announcement to the public to avoid creating confusion.
He added that the EC would announce both official and unofficial vote counts, with the latter focusing on quick reporting on which party/candidate is leading.
The unofficial vote count will not be in real-time, as that would require a large staff and there could be some inaccuracies, he said.
Sawang said the first unofficial vote count should come in no later than 7pm on May 14, two hours after the polling stations close at 5pm nationwide, with updates every half hour.
The complete unofficial vote count from all constituencies would be released not later than 10pm, he said.
Sawang added that the EC would not use mobile applications to report real-time vote count, after its bad experience in the 2019 general election with a mobile application that was marred by mistakes.
“Even without using an application, the reporting of vote counts for this election would be faster than in the past,” Sawang said, adding that the EC would hold another training session for the press to practise using its reporting system.
Sawang added that the EC was making efforts to reduce the number of voided ballots by displaying the candidates’ numbers and details on a large vinyl banner, which can be seen from the voting booths.
This will give voters a chance to double check that they are selecting the right candidate. In the past, they had to remember the details posted at the entrance to the station.
