Mongkolkit has filed a petition with the Ombudsman to urgently refer the issue of barcodes on election ballots to the Constitutional Court, arguing that it violates the constitution by not constituting direct and secret voting, before demonstrating 20 push-ups as per the New Alternative Party's policy.
At 10:45 a.m. on 16 February 2026, at the Election Commission office, Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, the New Alternative Party's prime ministerial candidate, stated that he would submit a letter to the Ombudsman asking for the case regarding the Election Commission's use of barcodes on both party-list and constituency ballots—allowing identification of the voter and their choice from the stub—to be sent to the Constitutional Court for a final ruling on whether this action violates Article 85 of the constitution, which mandates direct and secret voting. He brought documents containing evidence from the 2026 election, highlighting issues such as an excess of green ballots over pink ones, vote counts recorded in the ledger conflicting with those posted on boards, and discrepancies between recorded votes and the online system, to support his submission.
“This election had many irregularities; some precincts were not ordered to recount votes while others were ordered to re-elect. Although this is within the Election Commission's authority, Secretary-General Sarawut Boonmee explained that ballot codes can be matched to the stub but that the Commission keeps this confidential. This cannot be considered direct and secret voting, because the term ‘secret’ means that no one, even upon later inspection, can know who voted for whom—similar to the 2006 election that was annulled.”
Mongkolkit emphasized that this is a major social issue, and he expects the Ombudsman to act promptly, bringing the election to a close. He believes the final decision lies with the court; if the court rules in accordance with the rule of law, the country will remain stable. However, if the court's ruling contradicts public perception and facts, he foresees the court losing legitimacy.
The reporter added that after finishing his statement, Mongkolkit performed 20 push-ups, following the New Alternative Party's policy, before heading to submit his petition to the Ombudsman.
