Mongkolkit urges the Election Commission to organize a new election and pushes forward. He petitions the Administrative Court to annul overseas postal voting, arguing it is not confidential due to multiple handlers, and points out that EC regulations violate the constitution and involve unequal treatment.
At 11:30 a.m. on 20 Feb 2026 GMT+7, at the Election Commission office, Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Network Foundation, held a press conference after filing a petition with the Administrative Court for an emergency hearing to annul the overseas postal vote, claiming it lacks secrecy. He also requested a temporary injunction to prevent the EC from certifying the election results. He argued that postal ballots, split into constituency and party list ballots and sent by mail to overseas residences via local postal systems, are not confidential because many voters have received ballots and live-streamed them. The voting process obscures which candidate or party is selected only before sealing the envelope. Moreover, postal workers in Thailand can inspect ballots, making the vote non-confidential.
Mongkolkit said he believes EC regulations violate the constitution because the unit chairperson must sign the ballot stub, but for overseas voting, the ambassador signs instead, and voters do not sign. This constitutes unequal treatment, violating the constitution. He cited Article 85, arguing the vote is not secret. He therefore filed with the Central Administrative Court requesting the Constitutional Court to declare the election null and void for violating Article 85, as the direct vote is not secret and there is discrimination in overseas postal voting. He also requested a temporary injunction to prevent the EC from certifying election results, asking the court to rule within the day until a final decision is made.
When asked how postal ballots can be confidential since voters fold them into envelopes, Mongkolkit said officials using bright flashlights can see who the vote is for. The ballots are not under state control during transit but handled by postal services—state or private—in various countries, unlike polling stations supervised by unit chairpersons. He submitted 38 examples of voters live-streaming before voting to the court for consideration. Others were present during voting, so it was not secret since others were aware. He emphasized that EC regulations lack intent for equality. He questioned whether the EC had authority to issue regulations on postal voting without a Constitutional Court ruling on its legality for overseas elections.
Mongkolkit also addressed the EC, expressing concern for Secretary-General Sa-nguan Bunmee and the seven commissioners, noting that 80% of the public view the election negatively. If possible, he urged a new election to elect more honest politicians. He considered the 6 billion baht election budget reasonable. For future elections, he proposed assigning two soldiers and three students per unit as election officials, live-streaming the voting atmosphere, which would limit fraud to money distribution via vote brokers. He advised the EC to find the best solution to avoid legal trouble, warning that prison in old age is unpleasant. He noted former Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs Wisanu Krea-ngam had already warned the EC. If they do not heed Wisanu, former Constitutional Court judges, or legal experts, how can they expect different outcomes? He said when people do not accept election results, the process should halt and a new election be held to prevent chaos and improper changes. He offered this advice in goodwill, without anger towards the EC or Sa-nguan, as a friendly path to safety. He warned that ignoring this advice would lead to regret later.
When asked about the implications if the election is annulled, particularly for the sole MP of the New Alternative Party, Mongkolkit said a new election would be necessary. He is confident the public still supports him because he is straightforward. Regarding joining the government, he said he is pursuing two paths simultaneously.