Veeraphat, candidate for MP in Samut Prakan's District 6 from the Prachachon Party, has appealed to the Election Commission for a recount after discovering numerous transparency issues, including election materials and voter lists discarded in a landfill. He also criticized the EC's trip to Switzerland as being more about tourism than official observation.
At 11:00 a.m. on 16 February 2026 GMT+7, Veeraphat Kantha, candidate for Member of Parliament in Samut Prakan's District 6 representing the Prachachon Party, visited the Election Commission office to submit a petition requesting the Commission to investigate after ballots were found in a landfill in Samut Prakan province. He contested the election results and called for a recount, stating that he had found irregularities in the election for District 6, such as the conduct of polling station officials replacing his name with someone else's in front of the polling station, which he had already reported to the Samut Prakan EC. Additionally, marked ballot papers were discarded in a landfill located in a restricted area of Lat Luang Municipality. Voter lists from Buriram province were also found dumped there. He learned that those who discovered these issues were questioned on 14 February, leading him to believe the EC should conduct a recount or a new election. Veeraphat further commented on the EC's work trip to Switzerland last year, saying he received reports that during their visit to observe a referendum process, the local EC officials implied that such transparency would be difficult to achieve in our country. He questioned whether the EC's study trip for managing elections and referendums was worthwhile, suggesting that the EC officials seemed to enjoy sightseeing on the Swiss lakeside mountains more than focusing on ensuring transparent election management.
He also stated that there is evidence indicating many participants on the trip were more focused on tourism than work. If their intention had been genuine observation, the election management—such as the last provincial administrative election in Samut Prakan, which the EC organized on a Saturday and involved several questionable activities—would have been handled more transparently. He hopes that by submitting this letter, the EC will listen and take action to conduct a recount as demanded by the local people.
