Thailand's constitutional court to rule on validity of Feb election ballots

Bangkok, Aug 26 (AHN) Thailand's Constitutional Court is set to rule on September 28 whether barcodes and QR codes printed on ballots violated the charter's guarantee of voting secrecy, in a case that could lead to the February General Election being annulled.

In a statement on Wednesday, the court set the ruling date after hearing testimonies from five witnesses, noting that the fact-finding phase has now closed and ordered associated parties to submit written closing statements by September 11.

The court found it necessary to conduct an on-site evidence inspection on Thursday, assigning two judges and court officials to inspect the ballot storage sites, ballot stubs, unused ballots, voter rolls, and election materials used in the February 8 election in Bangkok, Xinhua news agency reported.

In March, the court accepted a petition filed by the country's Ombudsman arguing that the barcodes and QR codes printed on ballot papers could potentially be used to trace and identify individual voters and their selections.

The Ombudsman said it had received 22 complaints urging it to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court against the Election Commission and associated parties, arguing that the design of the ballots made it possible to trace a voter's identity and cross-check it against how they voted, implying that ballots were not cast in secret.

Anutin Charnvirakul, a candidate from the Bhumjaithai Party, was re-elected as Thailand's PM after he secured a simple majority in a vote cast by the House of Representatives on March 19, this year.

Charnvirakul was pitted against Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, which secured second spot in the elections in February.

In a roll call vote, Charnvirakul received 293 votes, surpassing the simple majority of 499 members in the lower house needed for approval, House Speaker Sophon Zaram said. Zaram stated that Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut secured 119 votes in his favour.

Charnvirakul has been Thailand's PM since September last year after securing a win in the parliamentary vote after Thailand Constitutional Court's decision removed former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from her premiership for breaching the constitution of the nation over an ethics breach.