Sa-wang revealed that the Election Commission humbly accepts the Constitutional Court's recommendations. He explained that the lawsuits were filed to protect the election process as part of their duty. He insisted that if anyone feels uneasy, it is only because the actions taken previously caused public discomfort.
At 16:20 on 28 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Sa-wang Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), spoke after the Constitutional Court ruled that the barcodes and QR codes on parliamentary election ballots do not violate the constitution. He said that everyone is doing their duty: petitioners want to protect citizens' rights to direct and secret voting.
Regarding the EC office, if one listens to the Constitutional Court’s ruling, it explains why the EC acted as it did. The ruling has been issued, with two recommendations: 1) the voting must be direct and secret, and 2) the process must be honest and fair. On behalf of the EC, these will be implemented. The EC does not want to cause public discomfort, especially regarding elections. At the time, the EC was confident the voting was direct and secret, but since the public feels uneasy or loses trust — as noted in the Court’s ruling — the EC will comply accordingly.
When asked whether changes will be made to build public confidence, Sa-wang replied that the ruling contains both principles, which the EC must uphold. They strive to conduct elections that meet both standards, but when issues arise and objections come from citizens or over 20 petitioners,
"Actually, this is positive. The EC does not see these petitions as a problem but as joint efforts to oversee politics and citizens’ rights. We must build confidence through ballot design to fulfill both principles. It's not difficult. In the last election, we believed we could control the situation, but since there was discomfort, corrections must be made."
The EC Secretary-General further stated that in performing their duties, anything constitutional and reassuring to the public to build trust will be done according to both principles in the next election.
. . . "Secret with conditions, not completely confidential." Asked about this, Sa-wang said the Constitutional Court has already set the framework, which the EC has followed. Ideally, they want absolute secrecy, but honesty and fairness are also fundamental. The Court established that conditional secrecy must balance so as not to undermine the core of direct and secret voting, depending on the measures taken.
"Before barcodes, when violations occurred, we could investigate by retrieving ballots and checking fingerprints. When fingerprinting was used, secrecy was already limited. We should not confuse violations with the principles of direct and secret voting. Offenders must be punished. New technology can help prevent fraud."
Regarding lawsuits filed by the EC against those inspecting barcodes or QR codes, Sa-wang said these are different issues. The EC’s lawsuits are not self-protective but meant to safeguard the election process as part of their duty. Failure to act would be neglecting responsibilities, which differs from exercising freedom of expression.
"Some may say we sued to silence critics, but that’s a separate matter. Citizens have the right to speak and act as long as it does not affect the election’s core process. The lawsuits only concern cases that impact the election's essential integrity. This is different from the freedom to analyze and criticize the EC; no one criticizing the EC has ever been sued."
When asked about those accused who say they have not been summoned for questioning, Sa-wang said he cannot speak on behalf of the Royal Thai Police.
Asked how the public can trust the latest election results when the pink ballots (party-list) have barcodes confirmed to match in three parts, Sa-wang replied that the Court said such tampering is unlikely. The preventive measures currently in place are effective. To date, no one knows how any individual voted. The 8 Feb 2026 election has passed. The Court only advised proper ballot storage to protect voters’ rights to direct and secret voting. If there is a new election, the EC will apply the Court’s ruling to ballots to build public confidence, possibly through new ballot designs that enhance trust.
Regarding the People's Party’s complaint under Section 157, Sa-wang said it is a matter of exercising rights. The EC is transparent and welcomes scrutiny. When asked if he feels concerned, Sa-wang said he personally does not. Everyone can examine the EC. If there is any negative feeling, it is only because previous actions caused public discomfort.