Sonthiya has requested the Election Commission to postpone the 2026 election from 8 Feb by one to two months, expressing unease after discovering errors during the 1 Feb advance voting and widespread vote-buying. He fears the election could be annulled, resulting in an unnecessary loss of 8 billion baht.
At 10:30 a.m. on 5 February 2026, at the Election Commission office, Mr. Sonthiya Sawatdee, a political activist, submitted a letter to the Election Commission requesting that the 8 February 2026 election be postponed by one to two months. He explained that he personally feels uneasy because numerous problems occurred during the advance voting on 1 February, including the absence of official candidate lists for members of the House of Representatives in some areas, where officials told voters that candidates had been withdrawn. There were also mistakes in addressing the ballot envelopes, reflecting a lack of election integrity.
Additionally, there are concerns about the voting process on 8 February, which includes a referendum. He questioned why three ballots are not issued simultaneously, fearing that especially elderly voters might become confused, causing disorder. The constitution requires voting to be secret, but if voters for the House of Representatives and the referendum cross paths inside polling stations, this could compromise the secrecy and fairness of the election.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has filed petitions with the Supreme Court to disqualify approximately 28 to 30 House candidates. If the court upholds these disqualifications, party leaders and executives who signed the candidates’ applications should be held responsible for submitting false documents and negligence that damages the bureaucracy. This violates political party laws and serious ethical standards. Therefore, party leaders of disqualified candidates should be subject to ethics investigations, as their participation could lead to a gray or black government.
There is also information from the Bank of Thailand about two unusual cash withdrawals totaling 450 million baht, mainly in small denominations. This matter is under investigation. Sonthiya has submitted a letter to the Anti-Money Laundering Office to cooperate with the Bank of Thailand to verify the number of withdrawals and whether the funds were used for political activities. However, Election Commission Secretary-General Sa-nga Boonmee told the media that while funds can be prepared, vote-buying is illegal and unethical.
"I want the Election Commission to thoroughly address, improve, and investigate all the above issues, because if they do not, political parties, affected individuals, and I myself will file a petition with the Constitutional Court to annul this election, which could delay the election and waste the budget of over 8 billion baht unnecessarily. If that happens, who will be responsible? Therefore, I urge the Election Commission to postpone the 8 February election. I affirm that I hold no bias against the Commission but want a fair and honest election. Postponing may incur some additional costs, but it would be minimal since the Commission could announce a new election date in March or April."
Sonthiya also revealed information about vote-buying in Samut Sakhon province, claiming that voters’ names had been recorded but money had not yet been distributed because he reported this to the Election Commission’s investigative branch in the area, which has deterred distribution so far. However, he is concerned that money might still be distributed one day before or on the morning of the election. Currently, there is information on at least two parties engaging in such practices, buying votes at 200 to 500 baht per person.