The Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC) firmly stated there will be no reconsideration of the two-step voter identification and referendum procedures, asserting the current design is appropriate. He revealed that the EC is in the process of reviewing political party policies and plans to publish the results on the EC website five days before the election.
On 15 January 2026 at 14:00 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, Mr. Saweang Bunmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), disclosed regarding the first meeting of the committee reviewing political party policies involving expenditures for advertising announced on 14 January that he sympathizes with the parties submitting policies for review, as this committee has high standards due to its experts in various fields. It is like having to pass an exam. The committee requested additional information from some parties, requiring them to take time from campaigning to provide explanations. It remains to be seen how much information the parties can submit. On 14 January, nearly 20 parties submitted policies for review, but only five provided documents in advance. He emphasized that the committee is not approving projects, so detailed scrutiny is unnecessary; rather, it raises questions about whether each party’s policy is reasonably implementable. He also instructed the committee to use clear and simple language in their observations. It is expected that by 19 January, all parties will have submitted their policy documents.
The EC Secretary-General said the review process follows these criteria: 1. Legal completeness, 2. Questions regarding the source of funds, and 3. Benefits and risks. During the review of each party’s policies, party representatives participate via video conference to answer committee questions—for example, the People’s Party had Ms. Sirikanya Tansakul, the prime ministerial candidate, respond to inquiries. He believes this committee will help some voters decide by providing the committee’s observations. Therefore, the review must be thorough and impartial, treating all parties equally. Inadequate review could affect political parties, voters, and the EC itself. The committee’s observations will be published for the public to study on the website www.ect.go.th five days before the election.
Regarding suggestions from some civil groups to reconsider the voter identification and referendum process—from the usual two-step identification to a single step with three ballots issued—Mr. Saweang confirmed there will be no reconsideration. He explained that all options were previously reviewed, and this design was found to be the most appropriate. Furthermore, training has been conducted for instructors who train polling station officials. Changing the process now would cause more confusion and complications.