On February 10, leader of the People's Party Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut admitted defeat, when his party ranked 2nd according to unofficial results of the Thai election held on February 8 - PBS of Thailand reported.
However, Mr. Natthaphong called on the public to report any unusual signs during the election or related stages, through the People's Party or civil society networks, to ensure no violations occur.
According to Mr. Natthaphong, the People's Party has appointed a chief legal advisor in charge of reviewing complaints related to allegations of irregularities or election fraud.
This statement was made in the context of instability in some provinces, where groups of people gathered accusing fraud and wrongdoing in the election.
Mr. Natthaphong said that the People's Party is collecting information and closely coordinating with candidates in the locality. Based on existing data, the party estimates to win about 88 seats by constituency and about 30 seats by party list, although the final results have not yet been confirmed.
Mr. Natthaphong continued to give some examples of irregularities considered unusual, including election district No. 2 of Lampang province, which recorded more than 7,000 invalid votes despite a winning difference of only about 2,000 votes. The party has officially proposed recounting votes in this area.
He also mentioned Pathum Thani, where the Thai Election Commission (EC) is said to have closed the ballot counting room. Although the vote counting did not significantly change the results, Mr. Natthaphong affirmed that the transparency and fairness of the election process is a requirement that cannot be taken lightly.
Meanwhile, Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai - a senior figure of the Pheu Thai Party, ranked 3rd - posted on social media expressing concern about the integrity of the election amidst increasing controversy.
Mr. Phumtham said that public dissatisfaction is spreading as many voters believe that the election shows signs of irregularities. He also criticized the Election Commission and some state agencies, saying that their behavior has raised serious suspicions about the fairness of the process.
For his part, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul - leader of the leading Bhumjaithai Party - said that the party's victory in many areas stems from public confidence in Bhumjaithai's consistent and clear approach in its operations.
According to unofficial vote counting data reaching about 94%, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai Party leads with about 193 seats out of a total of 500 seats in the House of Representatives; the People's Party ranks second with about 118 seats, while the Pheu Thai Party only won about 74 seats.
