Constitutional Court Rejects Election Barcode Challenge
The Constitutional Court unanimously rejected a petition challenging the Election Commission's use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots from February's general election, finding the petitioner failed to demonstrate direct harm required under
On September 10, 2025, the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected the petition filed by Mettha Maskhao, acting secretary of the Democracy Campaign Committee, seeking constitutional review under Article 213 of the Constitution. Maskhao had claimed that the Election Commission's decision to print barcodes and QR codes on ballots used in the February 8, 2025 general election for House of Representatives seats was intentionally designed to mark ballots in a way that would make them distinguishable and enable voter tracking, thereby enabling vote verification and violating election laws.
The petitioner sought a court ruling that the Election Commission's actions violated the House of Representatives Election Decree, Section 96, warranting penalties under the Election Commission Regulations, Section 69, and that all marked ballots should be invalidated, rendering the entire election void.
The court found that the facts presented in the petition and supporting documents did not establish that the petitioner had been directly violated in rights or freedoms or had suffered direct harm from the actions of the respondents. The court determined that the petition merely presented the petitioner's opinion and did not meet the legal criteria, procedures, and conditions required under Section 46 of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act. The court also noted that any violation of election laws may be addressed through other legal remedies available under the Constitution and that specific procedures already exist for such matters, making the petitioner ineligible to file under Article 213 of the Constitution.
