The Secretary-General of the EC apologized for poor communication that caused public misunderstanding regarding political parties preparing money, but forbidding its distribution. He admitted he might have spoken too briefly and quickly, causing the context to be misunderstood, and firmly stated that vote-buying is not allowed.
On 31 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Saeng Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), posted on his personal Facebook about his interview stating, “Political parties can prepare money, but must not distribute it,” adding, “This has gotten out of hand... I apologize here.”
Today, I gave an interview about preventing vote-buying and may have spoken too briefly or too quickly, or used incorrect terms, leading some to misunderstand the context of what I intended to convey. I previously explained the office’s measures against vote-buying: it must not occur, and I have already ordered that although preparation for vote-buying is possible, distribution must be avoided.
Actually, I was referring to the behavior of those planning to buy votes, not explaining the law. The law states that merely preparing to buy votes is already an offense. The conduct involved in vote-buying includes preparation before distribution, such as organizing money to distribute. However, preparation is difficult to detect, meaning perpetrators can easily evade the law if evidence is unclear. It is harder to catch them red-handed than to prevent it. Therefore, I told the media that even though preparation to buy votes can happen, distribution cannot be done because we have strict measures in place; if distribution occurs, it will surely be caught. I apologize for causing public misunderstanding due to poor communication.