Somkid Claims Election Plagued by Transparency Issues and Massive Vote Buying

On February 12, 2569, Somkid Chuekong, former Deputy Secretary to the Prime Minister and former MP from Ubon Ratchathani of the Pheu Thai Party, revealed serious concerns about the February 8 election. He stated that nearly nationwide, many areas experienced significant election transparency issues, with brazen vote buying occurring in multiple provinces while the Election Commission (EC) remained passive. Somkid emphasized that despite abundant evidence of vote buying, with villagers knowing exactly how much was paid and to which candidates or parties, the EC and police have been unable or unwilling to prosecute these legal violations. He suggested that academic estimates indicate at least 20 billion baht were spent on vote buying, likely even more, as payments occurred in every province and district. He criticized the election as being less about policy and more about which party could spend the most money. Somkid also highlighted voting irregularities, noting that in some provinces, ballot numbers did not match reported results, with vote counts mysteriously disappearing or increasing in different areas. Ultimately, he accused the Election Commission of failing to perform its core mission, suggesting they were acting more like political party secretaries than impartial election monitors. He warned that the election's management was a complete failure that would likely result in constitutional court challenges.