Pattaya News – “Supporters of Peoples Party Call for Vote Recount in Banglamung Constituency 8”

Banglamung-

Crowds from the “Orange Party” (People’s Party) united to storm Banglamung District, pressing the Election Commission to recount votes for MP in Constituency 8, after discovering alleged irregularities – like polling station lights not bright enough – requesting original vote count reports per polling unit

At 3:00 p.m. (February 9th, 2026), in front of the Banglamung District Office in Chonburi Province, Ms. Manatsawin Jancharoen, also known as Kru Benz, a candidate for Member of Parliament (MP) in Constituency 8, Chonburi (number 7 from the People’s Party), along with Mr. Nathanatharn Pramoolpong, the prospective MP for Chonburi Constituency 10 from the People’s Party, supporters, the public, students, and nearly 200 vendors and merchants, gathered to protest. They demanded that the Election Commission (ECT) recount the votes for the MP election and requested to view and copy the vote count reports (Form Sor Sor 5/18), which are posted in front of each polling station.

Subsequently, Mr. Anusak Piriyomorn, Banglamung District Chief and Director of Election in Constituency 8, along with Mr. Khamphrai Laosaen, Deputy District Chief for Security in Banglamung, received the complaint and clarified the doubts. They stated that the demands made by the candidate were beyond the authority of Banglamung District and recommended that the candidate submit a formal request directly to the Election Commission (ECT).

Ms. Manatsawin explained that the purpose of coming this time was solely to request a copy of Form Sor Sor 5/18, the announcement sheet posted in front of polling stations, which reports good ballots, spoiled ballots, and the vote counts for each candidate. However, since it involves inspection, the district office has no authority to decide and advised writing a formal petition to the Election Commission (ECT).

The reason for coming today, she stated, is that the public has doubts and suspicions about the vote counting in various polling units, and they have sent information to her as a candidate. She wanted to know what actions she could take and whether a recount was possible, so she came to the district office.

In addition, there were instances of alleged non-transparent vote counting, for example:
1. Green ballots ran out before pink ballots, forcing polling officials to issue a new booklet.
2. During the counting in each polling unit, the venue was very dark, with only one light installed per booth in a large area with about 15 booths, which is considered far too few. This made it difficult for observers to clearly see the symbols and vote counts, leading to errors in announcing and recording votes. All of this has caused suspicion among the public, who have been sending information to her. She will now collect all the evidence and submit a complaint to the ECT.

Furthermore, the People’s Party candidate contacted the Election Commission of Chonburi Province regarding the request for Form Sor Sor 5/18. The provincial ECT explained that after voting ends in each constituency, these documents are collected and returned to the provincial ECT for inspection and copying before being sent to the central Election Commission office for prompt publication on the websites of both the provincial and central ECT.

After the official announcement of election results, all candidates and the general public can download these documents for verification. As for requests to recount votes in polling units suspected of lacking transparency, if objections were raised at the polling station at the time, the complainant must bring the objection document with certified signatures to submit a formal petition to the Chonburi Provincial ECT.

In cases where comparing the figures on Form Sor Sor 5/18 with the reported results shows discrepancies, the ECT explained that minor errors can occur in the counting process, such as in announcing votes, adjudicating ballots, or recording marks, which may differ by 1–2 votes. However, if the number of voters who turned out matches the number of ballots used, it will not be considered as excess ballots.

When separating results into good ballots, spoiled ballots, and no-vote ballots, slight discrepancies may be found. The duty of polling station committee members (ECT officials) is to verify the number of ballots is correct, but not to recount votes, which can only be done during the verification stage.

Later, at around 5:00 p.m., the public gathered in front of the Banglamung District Office. After the candidate explained the ECT complaint procedures, the people voluntarily signed their names to support the demand for the ECT to consider the complaint and call for a prompt recount. Afterward, the crowd dispersed peacefully with no incidents of violence.

A much larger incident and demand for recounts took place in Chonburi City last night, Constituency One, as we reported here.