Saowang Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), posted a statement defending the dignity of polling station officials, emphasizing that selfless volunteers assisting with the parliamentary election should not be falsely accused or have issues distorted. He noted that during the recent early voting, there were hundreds of allegations, but fewer than 10 actual errors.
On 6 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Saowang Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission of Thailand, posted on his personal Facebook page a message titled "Defending the truth... Polling station officials, volunteers for democracy..."
This work, this kind of job, has only two true companions: the law and the truth. The law requires strict compliance with legal requirements. The truth is that whatever is done will yield corresponding results.
In this work, those who make success happen are the polling station officials, who are volunteers or selfless citizens. These officials are residents within the electoral district, with knowledge and abilities similar to ordinary voters. What sets them apart is their volunteer spirit. They serve as volunteers for democratic elections. Without polling station officials, elections cannot succeed.
For each parliamentary election, both early voting and on the official day, nearly two million volunteers serve as polling station officials. This vast number works with dedication to serve 53 million voters nationwide. Given this scale, some errors are inevitable. Previously, with approximately 100,000 polling stations, errors did not exceed 50 stations, despite working under pressure for more than 15 continuous hours without breaks.
When errors occur due to inadvertence, the office accepts responsibility. However, if there is intent to undermine the fairness and integrity of the election, the polling station officials involved must face consequences based on the facts of their actions.
In this election’s early voting on 1 Feb 2026 GMT+7, allegations arose claiming that the ECT mismanaged polling stations. These accusations target our people—our volunteers who selflessly serve the nation’s election process. There were hundreds of allegations on election day, but preliminary checks found fewer than 10 genuine errors. We acknowledge these errors, have apologized, and will work to improve.
However, falsely accusing selfless workers without truth is unfair. It hurts the feelings and morale of those working correctly. Moreover, these volunteers have been asked to take responsibility for allegations lacking factual support, which is inappropriate.
Our duty is to "defend the truth" and "protect the workers." After preliminary checks confirmed the allegations were unfounded, the issue was diverted elsewhere, and no accountability was shown regarding the accusations. Nevertheless, we will continue to protect the truth and those who work for it.