Election Commission Emphasizes Advance Voting on Feb 1: Alcohol Sales Prohibited

On January 30, 2024 - Mr. Narong Klin-Varin, Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), gave an interview about the readiness for advance voting on February 1st. He stated that the EC office has fully prepared all voting units and encourages citizens to exercise their voting rights at their registered polling stations. The EC has implemented a ban on selling, distributing, or giving away alcoholic beverages from 6:00 PM on January 31st until 6:00 PM on February 1st. Regarding overseas voting, ballot papers have been gradually returning to Thailand since January 25th, though they have not yet been sorted. The EC believes there will be no issues, as all embassies are closely monitoring the process. The EC has received approximately 60 complaints, mostly related to deceptive campaigning or improper election activities. While some vote-buying has been reported, the numbers are not significant. The commission emphasizes that they will immediately investigate any reported irregularities in any area.