It has been revealed that Thai people in Belgium and Luxembourg have low participation in overseas voting, caused by issues with publicity and complicated registration procedures. This reflects problems faced by the Election Commission, which recently visited the area to study the situation and must plan management strategies to resolve the issues.
27 Jan 2026 GMT+7The Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels organized overseas voting in Belgium and Luxembourg, finding that the total number of voters participating in the MP election at the embassy from 24-25 January 2026 was 231 out of 260 registered voters, representing 89%. For the referendum, 206 out of 223 registered voters participated, representing 92%.
In Luxembourg, 38 out of 39 registered voters participated, representing 97.4%, while 32 out of 33 registered voters cast their ballots in the referendum, representing 97%.
Reports stated that there are over 10,000 Thais in Belgium and Luxembourg, but only 299 registered for overseas voting (excluding postal votes), which is very low. This is believed to result from inadequate publicity and complicated registration procedures.
However, previously, the Election Commission delegation traveled to observe election management abroad and gathered opinions from Thai voters at the polling station in Brussels on Sunday, 25 January.
Boonthong Komongkolkul, Thairath correspondent in Belgium