The Constitutional Court ordered the dismissal of the petition filed against the Election Commission regarding the printing of "barcodes" on election ballots, which alleged breaches of secrecy and rights violations. The court noted these claims were mere opinions without valid evidence and clearly stated the petitioner was not directly affected.
On 1 Jul 2026 GMT+7, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled to reject the petition filed by Ms. Natthida Nikrothangkool, who requested the court to consider the case under Section 213 of the Constitution.
The petitioner claimed that the actions of the Election Commission (respondent 1) and its office (respondent 2) in specifying and printing barcodes on party-list ballots for House of Representatives elections did not comply with the budget allocation purpose, which only allowed QR codes. Based on complaints from others, it was alleged that the election was not secret, violated voting rights, and conflicted with Sections 3, 25, and 41(3) of the Constitution.
After deliberation, the Constitutional Court found that the facts and documents submitted did not show the petitioner was directly deprived of rights or freedoms or suffered harm from the respondents’ actions. The claims were merely the petitioner’s opinions. Furthermore, no supporting reasons were given to argue how the election lacked secrecy or violated criteria under the Constitutional Court Procedure Act B.E. 2561, Sections 46(1) and (2). Therefore, the petitioner could not file the petition under Section 213 of the Constitution.