The Election Commission (EC) declared strict control over defamatory social media use during election campaigns, warning that penalties are harsher than for libel. It confirmed readiness to accept nominations for party-list MPs and prime ministerial candidates tomorrow, also reporting that 577,633 people have registered for early voting—both inside and outside the kingdom.
On 27 Dec 2025 at 15:00 GMT+7, at Centara Life Hotel, Government Complex and Convention Center, Mr. Narong Klunwarin, Chair of the Election Commission, together with Mr. Sawek Bunmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), inspected preparations for the registration of party-list MPs and political party nominees for prime minister. The event took place at the Vayuphak 2-4 meeting rooms on the 4th floor of Centara Life Hotel. The registration process is divided into five stations: 1) document verification, 2) drawing party numbers for campaigning and voting, 3) payment of registration fees, 4) issuance of registration certificates, and 5) submission and inspection of party election campaign policies.
Afterwards, Secretary-General Sawek Bunmee said in an interview that the first day of candidate registration for constituency MPs across the country’s 400 districts went smoothly with no irregularities. Regarding preparations for party-list MP registration on 28 Dec, the EC has arranged staff and coordinated with political parties to rehearse documentation procedures. Some parties have already submitted their documents for EC review. Document checks will take place tomorrow morning for parties registering before 08:30 GMT+7. Parties with complete documents can proceed to draw numbers. The morning session is expected to be brief, and the registration process is anticipated to proceed smoothly.
When asked if lessons from the previous registration were applied to improve the process, Mr. Sawek said that earlier there were some delays due to assigning candidate numbers, which slowed registration and campaigning. This time, the issue has been resolved: after verifying complete documents, parties will draw numbers and must use that number for campaigning.
Mr. Sawek added that the election process is now in full swing and coincides with a referendum. Ensuring a smooth election is not only the EC’s responsibility but also that of candidates and supporters. There has been defamatory content on social media, which is illegal, and the EC will enforce stricter measures. The EC operates an electronic campaign monitoring center to rigorously check for defamatory posts by candidates, supporters, or the public. The EC has the authority to delete defamatory content to ensure fairness to all parties without waiting for complaints. Candidates harmed by such defamation can also file complaints with the EC. The EC monitors social media daily and will take action by 1) protecting candidates through content removal and 2) identifying and prosecuting offenders. The EC has sought cooperation from TikTok, Facebook, and LINE to establish effective measures to ensure fair and orderly competition.
“I want to remind the public that posting illegal content carries penalties including imprisonment and fines. Under Section 73(5) of the Organic Act on the Election of MPs 2018, violating Section 159 carries imprisonment from one to ten years, fines between 20,000 and 200,000 baht, or both, and the court may revoke the offender’s voting rights for 20 years. These penalties are more severe than for defamation,” Mr. Sawek said.
When asked about the referendum, whether not voting would result in loss of rights like abstaining from elections, the EC Secretary-General explained that under both election and referendum laws, failure to vote results in loss of rights. However, the conditions for reporting reasons differ slightly: for parliamentary elections, voters can report absence up to seven days before or after election day; for the referendum, once the voter list is published, voters can report immediately and have seven days after voting day to report absence.
Summary of seven days of early voting registration — including overseas: 577,633 people have registered.
Additionally, the EC office summarized early voting registration during the seven-day period from 20–26 December 2025. A total of 577,633 people registered to vote early inside constituencies, outside constituencies, and abroad. Specifically, 1,759 registered for early voting within their constituencies, 528,816 registered for early voting outside their constituencies, and 47,058 registered for overseas early voting.
Furthermore, the EC opened registration from 20 Dec 2025 to 5 Jan 2026 for citizens who cannot vote on 8 Feb due to essential business, those living abroad, and officials assigned to work on election day.
For citizens who have registered for early voting but later decide or find it inconvenient to vote on 1 Feb 2026 because early referendum voting is unavailable, they can instead vote on election day, 8 Feb 2026, alongside the referendum vote.