Democrat Party Bangkok Council members are pushing for an investigation into allegations that People’s Party councilors "Napapol" and "Nipapan" voted on each other's behalf. They confirmed the wrongdoing has been established. Spokesperson Pongsakorn revealed plans to file complaints with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Minister of Interior, and the Bangkok Council chairman to examine ethical and criminal violations.
At 9:00 a.m. on 3 August 2026, Mr. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesperson for the Democrat Party, along with Democrat Party Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMC) members such as Mr. Napapol Jirakul (Bangkok Noi district councilor), Ms. Nipapan Junglertsiri (Pom Prap Sattru Phai district councilor), Mr. Phinit Kanjanachusak (Samphanthawong district councilor), Mr. Suchai Pongpianchob (Khlong Toei district councilor), and Mr. Anurak Lertwattanaipaiboon (Wang Thonglang district councilor), held a press conference regarding the vote substitution by People’s Party councilors during a recent BMC meeting.
Mr. Napapol explained that the current Bangkok Council voting system uses electronic voting similar to the House of Representatives, requiring councilors to use their ID cards to verify their identity before voting. On the incident day, 41 people were shown on the screen as present in the meeting room, but actual attendance was only 40 councilors. This indicated that one councilor’s ID card was left inserted but without the person present. When the chairman called for a vote, 41 votes were cast, meaning one councilor voted on behalf of another. When other councilors protested and asked the chairman to investigate, Mr. Pattharak Sakkaphanetha, a People’s Party councilor from Yannawa district, admitted in the meeting that he pressed the voting button on behalf of Mr. Siram Prakaikij, Sathorn district councilor, whose card was still inserted. He claimed he pressed the wrong machine due to rushing, resulting in two votes cast.
. The excuse of pressing the wrong button or machine malfunction is unconvincing because if the machine were faulty, an orange light would indicate it was unusable and the council staff would be immediately notified to fix it. Voting first for oneself and then for a fellow member constitutes completed wrongdoing—violating ethics, the Anti-Corruption Act, and criminal law. Several councilors witnessed the incident simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nipapan, Pom Prap Sattru Phai district councilor, who witnessed the event, confirmed that she saw Mr. Pattharak vote for himself first, then reach over to press the button on Mr. Siram’s voting card. After protests in the meeting, Mr. Pattharak admitted to voting on behalf of another, claiming confusion. However, protocol requires any voting error or issue to be immediately reported to the chairman, not ignored until others raise concerns. The meeting’s recorded footage clearly shows the sequence of button presses and can verify the timeline.
Mr. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, Democrat Party spokesperson, stated that the vote substitution incident did occur and the offender admitted it. Although later explanations on social media contradicted facts from the meeting, the crucial issue is the misconduct that violates the "one person, one vote" principle, representing an abuse of public power for corruption. The Democrat Party will pursue action on three fronts:
1. Filing a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). This act falls under violations of Section 157 of the Penal Code and Section 172 of the 2018 Anti-Corruption Act, concerning corrupt performance or neglect of duty causing damage.
2. Submitting a letter to the Minister of Interior, requesting the exercise of authority under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act to investigate the ethical violations by the councilor and forward the case to the Bangkok Council for further deliberation.
3. Filing a complaint to the chairman and vice-chairman of the Bangkok Council, asking for clarification on the facts and how they will rule and proceed. Should the council or relevant officials fail to act, the Democrat Party will press charges against all responsible for neglecting their duties. This press conference is not political harassment or attack but supports the transparency policy of the Bangkok Council chairman, aiming to demonstrate whether the chairman is transparent enough to prosecute and punish fairly, to eliminate corruption and establish lawful standards for the Bangkok Council.
